Rare Sporting Triumphs Lift Spirits in Macedonia

It’s not often that Macedonia gets the chance to celebrate a thumping victory over Greece. If that has now become possible, it’s all down to the Macedonian basketball team’s winning streak; the team has triumphed in four out of five matches in the first round of the European Basketball Championship in Lithuania.

Macedonia maintained its ascendancy on Monday, beating Bosnia-Herzegovina 75:63 and taking first place in Group C, which takes it into the second round, Group F, against Russia, Slovenia and Georgia.

While victories against Croatia, Finland, Bosnia were events to savour in a country that rarely gains prizes for sport, last Saturday’s win against Greece was the icing on the cake.

After the match concluded, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski called the team to congratulate them, which he did not do after the win against Finland, although that win took Macedonia into the second round.

While Gruevski made no mention of the longstanding diplomatic dispute with Greece, no one doubts that the outburst of national rejoicing on Saturday was bound up with this sensitive issue.

The rareness of sporting successes in Macedonia explains why people have celebrated the latest victories with such intensity. Two years ago Macedonia’s basketball team won only two matches, coming ninth in the tournament.

Macedonia and Greece have been locked in a dispute over use of the name “Macedonia” since the country declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991.

Greece objects to use of the name Macedonia, maintaining that it implies a territorial claim to the northern Greek province of the same name.  

Negotiations to resolve this issue have dragged on since 1995 under UN auspices without success.

After Macedonia beat Greece, two time euro champions and bronze medalists in the 2009 Euro basketball tournament, people poured into the streets to celebrate, filling the main square of the capital, Skopje, shouting “Macedonia!” and honking car horns.

“We won against Greece, now nothing else is important. Even if we lose the other games we don't care," one ecstatic fan said.

Though tired, the players did not allow the Greek win to go to their heads. They beat Finland the following day on Sunday in a tight match.

Captain Pero Antic then allowed himself a moment to reflect on his team’s new status as national heroes.

"On September 8, when we celebrate Independence Day, a monument will be erected for us!" Antic jested, referring, perhaps, to the spate of new monuments that the government has erected in the capital as part of the “Skopje 2014” project.

While team captain Antic is in the spotlight, American-born Lester Bo McCalleb, or as some want to call him, Borce Mekejlebski, has emerged as another favourite with fans.

After scoring 27 points against Greece, he has become one of the most popular figures in the country, with his own fan page and a street mural of his face in the southern town of Kavadarci.

"He is not Macedonian but he plays with his heart for Macedonia," one of the graffiti artists said.

The mood of euphoria is so strong that some fans on Facebook have even called for a "Golden basket" to be erected on the main square in Skopje.  

The suggestion was not quite serious – but if Macedonia continues its series of wins – who knows?