Valdeko Valdmäe (until 1937 Valdeko Velt; 5 May 1913 – 20 May 2001) was an

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

n basketballer and volleyballer. He was born in

Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after the Northern European country's political and financial capital, Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 91,407 (as of 2021). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of ...

. He studied economy at the

University of Tartu The University of Tartu (UT; et, Tartu Ülikool; la, Universitas Tartuensis) is a university in the city of Tartu in Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is the only classical university in the country, and also its biggest ...

. He began his basketball career under the guidance of

Herbert Niiler Herbert Niiler (27 April 1905 – 13 April 1982) was an Estonian American basketball player and coach. Niiler coached the Estonia men's national basketball team in the 1936 Summer Olympics, where the team placed 9th. He also led Estonia to EuroBa ...

. He played in several clubs: Tartu NMKÜ, Tallinna Kalev, Tartu Kalev. He was a member of

Estonian national basketball team The Estonia men's national basketball team ( et, Eesti korvpallikoondis) represents Estonia in international basketball matches. They are controlled by the Estonian Basketball Association. The team competed in their first international tourname ...

. Following the reoccupation and annexation of Estonia by the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

In 1944, he fled to Germany where he stayed at Geislingen

displaced persons camp A refugee camp is a temporary Human settlement, settlement built to receive refugees and people in refugee-like situations. Refugee camps usually accommodate displaced people who have fled their home country, but camps are also made for interna ...

. Later he moved to Australia. He is buried at

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

Rookwood Cemetery Rookwood Cemetery (officially named Rookwood Necropolis) is a heritage-listed cemetery in Rookwood, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest List of necropolises, necropolis in the Southern Hemisphere and is the world's largest ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Valdmae, Valdeko 1913 births 2001 deaths Estonian men's basketball players KK Kalev players Estonian men's volleyball players University of Tartu alumni Estonian World War II refugees Estonian emigrants to Australia Sportspeople from Tartu