WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP CHILE 1959
The organisers were not prepared to lose money on a completely meaningless final day, most FIBA members wanted an exemplary sanction for the Soviets( as well as for the Bulgarians who had announced their decision not to play against Formosa that afternoon), but William Jones was looking further ahead and tried to satisfy everyone. He did not want a tough sanction that would keep Soviet basketball away from international competition for several years, especially as the Olympic Games were just around the corner, but the situation could not be ignored. He therefore decided that the USSR and Bulgaria be relegated to the bottom two positions of the group but the results were to remain valid. By acting in this manner he ensured the continuity of the communist countries for future competitions and pleased the organisers at the same time as the final day regained interest as it gave Chile the possibility of becoming champions if they could beat Brazil by twelve points.
BRAZIL, A DEVALUED GOLD
As the Soviet contingent prepared to go back home, fully convinced of being the moral winners of the championship, the closing day promised to be exciting with the match between Brazil and Chile. It goes without saying that the Santiago National Stadium presented a full house of over 30,000 fans all hoping for their team ' s victory that would give them the gold medal. Brazil, with Wlamir Marques and Amaury Pasos benefiting from greater experience than in the previous edition held on their home soil, showed themselves to be vastly superior to Chile. Despite having lost to the USSR earlier their victory against the USA( 81-67) immediately after the Soviet nonappearance against Formosa had guaranteed them at least a silver medal and they had the possibility of attaining gold. They had no intention of letting the opportunity slip by. They were superior to the Chileans, and they knew it, but they were careful not to get overconfident. Their experience in the football and basketball world championships held in Brazil was still an unhealed wound.
Brazil never gave Chile the slightest sniff of the gold medal. Right from the very first second their lively, athletic style imposed itself on the match and was reflected on the scoreboard. Wlamir Marques( 17 points) and Amaury Pasos( 16), ably supported by the captain Zenny de Acevedo( 8) and Pedro Fonseca( 11), seemed unstoppable. The 16 point advantage at the end of the first half( 37-21) appeared definitive. Despite a brief reaction from Chile at the beginning of the second half, inspired by Luis Salvadores( 15 points) they were utterly incapable of putting a Brazilian victory in danger. The final score( 73-49) was an accurate reflection of Brazil ' s solid performance. Brazil won their first world championship just when the circumstances were least in their favour. A few hours later they were celebrating the gold medal won thanks to their victory over USA. The defeat against Brazil dropped Chile, who were coached by the American Kenneth Davidson, down to third place. They won the bronze medal despite having won only two of their six matches( against Puerto Rico and Formosa). USA, beaten by the USSR and Brazil, won the silver although it must not be forgotten that their team was the weakest they had ever put out for an international competition. Gerome Vaida was their most valuable player and one of the top scorers in the tournament.
Formosa, the involuntary cause of all the problems, finished in fourth place despite not having won a single match on the hardwood! Their 2-0 victories over the USSR and Bulgaria won them this privileged position, things could have been even better had they not lost by the minimum( 86- 85) after overtime to Chile in their first match.
186 FUNDACIÓN PEDRO FERRÁNDIZ