Where's the oldest surviving Basketball Court ?

Though Basketball has been associated with the American sports for long, it's oldest surviving origins in terms of the basketball court lie elsewhere. The place is none other than France. The basement in Paris, France houses the oldest surviving basketball court. It is widely believed that it was built by French Architect Emile Benard in 1892 who was a student of Gustave Eiffel.

The story goes like this

"A fine day a YMCA instructor was shifted to a Paris location. He was carrying with himself a football and a pair of fruit baskets. To create a diversion for his players, he hung the baskets (fruit ) in the basement Gym area. Thus creating the first European Basketball court. The soccer like orange balls were made much later.'

The court in France still remains intact. The Boards hung in the basement are wearing off and the massive poles at the center of the court are one of the most prominent features. The baskets have been replaced by real hoops with support boards. However, the game lives on.

The sport was invented in 1891 in Massachusetts YMCA, Springfield and developed into this modern sport that we see today. Yet the sport's oldest surviving court is a part of a Paris Gym Basement. This European court was modeled after the original court from Springfield. The facility at Paris also houses a theatre and a sloped cycling track as its unique features alongside the court.

The court still hosts Basketball games every weekend and the game lives on!