When the long-awaited trio of Bavarian basketball players arrived at the Tacurú House after completing their morning training, there was no stopping them: Captain Danilo Barthel, Maodo Lo and Paul Zipser were immediately surrounded by approximately 100 youngsters from the Catholic institution, which takes care of children and young people from precarious social conditions in the northern part of the Uruguayan capital, Montevideo. The FC Bayern delegation is in Montevideo for the "BayWa Basketball Tour", where the German champion will take part in the "NBA G League International Challenge" (18 - 22 September) starting on Wednesday.
The Bavarians did not only have their three German national players with them, who quickly came into contact with the kids and gave them tips for shooting: A brand new facility with new baskets and soccer goals was opened in the inner courtyard during the visit, and basketballs with the FCBB logo were given to the kids as a gift.
'Mayor Christian Di Candia, (2nd from left), Rudolf Vidal (2nd from right), Marko Pesic (right) and Morgan Doyle (IDB)
"When we drove here, you could already see that the people here are unfortunately not privileged," said Maodo Lo. "That's why I'm so happy that we were here and that we came into contact with the people here, that's very important to us and a lot of fun.
"The fact that the players don't just come here to play a tournament, but also pass on their knowledge and meet the people, says a lot about the fact that sports are not just about competition," said Christian Di Candia, mayor of Montevideo. Rudolf Vidal (President Americas FCB), who, like FCBB Managing Director Marko Pesic, exchanged views with DI Candia, stressed: "Whenever FC Bayern visits a new city, we spend a few months learning about the local culture and important aspects of local life. Through our exchange with the Inter-American Development Bank, we knew that there were some wallets that needed support. It is therefore an honour for us, in cooperation with the Mayor's Office and the IDB, to have created a safe place where young people can play basketball and soccer".
