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Shanghai Sharks Overcome Obstacles, Will Become the First Chinese Basketball Club to Compete in Italy during the Interperformances' 5-City Preseason Tour
Today the Shanghai Sharks basketball club overcame challenges that have prevented
other Chinese clubs from participating in a competition in Italy for more than
70 years.
Interperformances' president Luciano Capicchioni announced today that the club had been challenged with securing visas and travel authorizations which appeared to defeat the club, owned by NBA legend Yao Ming, from appearing in the Italian preseason series organized by Interperformances over the past year. Capicchioni had been working with Yao and the Club's management to present Italian basketball fans with the bi-Continental match-ups with some of Italy's elite clubs.
"We are extremely pleased that the management at the Shanghai Sharks were able to resolve the legal issues which arose at the last second to prevent the Club from appearing at our tournaments and exhibition games. The competitions are the first of their kind in Italy and the fans are in for a real treat." Interperformances' preseason matches include tournaments in Jesolo (VE) and Rimini as well as exhibition games in Bologna, Verona and Pistoia. Pistoia and the neighboring Florence suburban city of Prato are home to more than 50,000 first generation Chinese immigrants to Italy.
The People's Republic of China did not compete in the 1960 Rome Olympics and this club's appearance will be the first time that Italian fans will be able to witness how the game played by Asia's largest nation. .
As recently as Monday, August 31st, the club had advised it could not attend these games but the club's management rallied its legal support to be able to re-commit to the competitions. Interperformances had worked furiously in the past days to secure another substitute club comprised of an All-Stars team (Lions All Stars).
Interperformances would like to thank the following professional basketball managers and the Lions All Stars who were prepared to appear in Shanghai's absence:
Managers and coaches:
Nebojsa Covic (President - Crvena Zvezda ("Red Star") Belgrade)
Vladimir Lucic (Serbian Coach)
Bojan Tanjevic (Interperformances - Belgrade)
Helmet Niederhoffer (GM, Vienna Arkadia Lions - Vienna)
Zdenko Andjelkovic (BUSMAG Co. - Belgrade)
Jeffrey Aylen (Interperformances international team Promoter - Lausanne)
Players:
Filip Covic
Petar Torlak
Marko Bordas
Petar Despotovic
Danilo Negovanovic
Mladen Jeremic
Aljosa Mitrovic
Vuk Ivanovic
Interperformances' president Luciano Capicchioni announced today that the club had been challenged with securing visas and travel authorizations which appeared to defeat the club, owned by NBA legend Yao Ming, from appearing in the Italian preseason series organized by Interperformances over the past year. Capicchioni had been working with Yao and the Club's management to present Italian basketball fans with the bi-Continental match-ups with some of Italy's elite clubs.
"We are extremely pleased that the management at the Shanghai Sharks were able to resolve the legal issues which arose at the last second to prevent the Club from appearing at our tournaments and exhibition games. The competitions are the first of their kind in Italy and the fans are in for a real treat." Interperformances' preseason matches include tournaments in Jesolo (VE) and Rimini as well as exhibition games in Bologna, Verona and Pistoia. Pistoia and the neighboring Florence suburban city of Prato are home to more than 50,000 first generation Chinese immigrants to Italy.
The People's Republic of China did not compete in the 1960 Rome Olympics and this club's appearance will be the first time that Italian fans will be able to witness how the game played by Asia's largest nation. .
As recently as Monday, August 31st, the club had advised it could not attend these games but the club's management rallied its legal support to be able to re-commit to the competitions. Interperformances had worked furiously in the past days to secure another substitute club comprised of an All-Stars team (Lions All Stars).
Interperformances would like to thank the following professional basketball managers and the Lions All Stars who were prepared to appear in Shanghai's absence:
Managers and coaches:
Nebojsa Covic (President - Crvena Zvezda ("Red Star") Belgrade)
Vladimir Lucic (Serbian Coach)
Bojan Tanjevic (Interperformances - Belgrade)
Helmet Niederhoffer (GM, Vienna Arkadia Lions - Vienna)
Zdenko Andjelkovic (BUSMAG Co. - Belgrade)
Jeffrey Aylen (Interperformances international team Promoter - Lausanne)
Players:
Filip Covic
Petar Torlak
Marko Bordas
Petar Despotovic
Danilo Negovanovic
Mladen Jeremic
Aljosa Mitrovic
Vuk Ivanovic