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It was 1936 and the world stood on uneven ground. The interwar period was filled with suspicions and boycotts that often made sport seem unimportant among the larger political issues at hand.  So when the Berlin Olympics opened in August of that year, the inclusion of basketball as a medal sport was hardly given the significance that we now attribute to the birth of the game on a global scale.

With Canadian inventor of the game, Dr. James Naismith, in attendance at the Olympic tournament and personally handing out the medals to the winning countries one would think the occasion invited fanfare, but it was rather the opposite.

Confined to outdoor courts though there were many indoor gymnasiums nearby, the 21 teams in the competition played on dirt and clay. When two teams were left standing, it was Canada and the United States battling for worldwide basketball supremacy during heavy rainfall.

The Canadian squad, comprised of six members and the coaching staff of the Ford Windsor V-8s and three members of the Victoria Blue Ribbon, defeated Brazil, Latvia, Switzerland, Uruguay, and Poland on their way to the gold medal match. Though the Canadians averaged 29.7 points during the competition, the downpour during the final match made the contest difficult and Canada fell to the USA 19-8.

As the Canadians accepted their silver medals from Naismith himself, the man who pioneered the sport that would later be played by millions around the world, they must have wondered about the future of the sport that was just beginning to gain global popularity.

Regular stories commemorating our 90th anniversary will appear on the 90 Years in the Making series archive. We would also like to reach out to those who have been involved in the Canadian basketball community over the years. If you have a story to share, contact us at communications@basketball.ca and join the conversation on twitter with #CB90

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