Adopt a floorboard at the world’s oldest surviving basketball court!

PARIS (France) – Ahead of the 2024 Olympics, YMCA Paris has launched a special campaign to restore its iconic facility - 14Trévise - which houses the world’s oldest surviving basketball court.

Built in 1893, only two years after the invention of the game - the gym in France is an identical replica of the original Springfield YMCA Training School where basketball was played for the very first time.

“Adopte une Lame”

Hoops fans around the globe can be a part of the court’s renovation process - by adopting any of the 2024 floorboards that will form part of the foundation of the refurbished facility.

“7,444 floorboards make up this legendary parquet floor, but we decided to symbolically have 2,024 adopted, in tribute to the Paris Olympics,” said Ms Christelle Bertho, historian and architectural advisor.

The crowdfunding campaign - called “Adopte une Lame” (“Adopt a Floorboard”) - is seeing an enthusiastic response from across the globe.

“Donors from all ages and backgrounds as well as from all continents and 15 countries, as far apart as Côte d’Ivoire and South Korea, have engaged in our campaign,” Ms Danuta Pieter, Philanthropy Advisor for 14Trévise told FIBA Foundation.

A multi-cultural hub of history

Through its storied existence, 14Trévise has left an indelible mark in French history, especially in the twentieth century. It is more than just a basketball court. It has been a hub of various sporting, cultural, and intellectual activities.

Elaborating on the same, Ms Pieter notes:

“14Trévise is a fascinating place. For 130 years, it has been a vibrant multi-activity center in the very heart of Paris. Its theater for example is the place of introduction of stand-up comedy in France! The YMCA Paris pioneered in a wide range of fields, since it is the place of introduction for basketball (Melvin B. Rideout, 1893), scouting (Charles and Henri Bonnamaux, 1911), and hip-hop (Nelly Aknin, 1982) practices in France.”

Preserving basketball’s cultural heritage

YMCA, having invented basketball, and FIBA - the global governing body for the sport, have long had a fruitful association. This relationship was formalized in December last year when the World YMCA and FIBA Foundation (the social arm of FIBA) joined hands to collaborate on programs to empower young people through basketball.

Additionally, the partnership focuses on preserving basketball’s cultural heritage. And what better way to do so, than rekindling the game’s ties with one of its hallowed homes?

“We imagined the “Adopt a floor board” campaign because we wanted to give an opportunity for anyone to participate in our renovation project – not only major donors and corporates – and let basketball fans from all over the world write their name down in the history of their sport,” Pieter said.

Vintage certificates & engraved donor boards

By making financial contributions starting from 100€, donors will have the unique privilege of receiving vintage certificates, besides having their names engraved on a board that will be installed permanently in the gym.

A third of the floorboards have already been adopted, so interested donors would do well to hurry and book their place in history by visiting  www.adopteunelame.com.

Once reopened, 14Trévise is planning to host live screening of games during the Olympics, besides various cultural activities such as musical concerts, workshops and guided tours.

No doubt, the mecca of French basketball promises to retain its pride of place for Parisians in the foreseeable future.

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The FIBA Foundation is the social and legacy arm of FIBA that addresses the role of sports and particularly basketball in society, preserving and promoting basketball’s values and its cultural heritage.

The FIBA Foundation believes that basketball has the power to empower, educate and inspire youth and facilitates this by implementing Basketball For Good projects around the world.

 

FIBA