11 May 2010
ZAMBIA : FIBA and IOC open Sport for Hope Centre in Zambia
FIBA Secretary General and IOC Member, Patrick Baumann, along with FIBA Africa Secretary General, Alphonse Bilé, on Tuesday accompanied the President of the IOC, Jacques Rogge, to the opening of a new sports centre for youth on the outskirts of Zambia’s capital city Lusaka. Rogge was greeted by Zambia’s president Rupiah Banda before the two jointly inaugurated the centre in front of a large crowd that included a number of officials and more than 2000 members of the public, while the media was also well represented.
FIBA donated the necessary resources for the construction of three outdoor basketball courts and supplied additional equipment, including fixed and movable backstop units, game shot clocks, electronic scoreboards, uniforms and balls, with equipment also destined for basketball in multipurpose indoor facilities.
The sports complex, which has the backing of FIBA as well as the international federations for athletics, boxing, weightlifting, handball and hockey, will be owned and operated by the National Olympic Committee of Zambia.
The new complex was built as part of the IOC’s ‘Sports for Hope’ programme, which aims to provide athletes, young people and communities in developing countries with better access to sport and the positive values it can convey. It will help develop elite performance among athletes on regional and national levels, while also engaging in health and community based programmes.
The centre will be run in close cooperation with national and international sports federations, with the Zambian Basketball Federation being able to use the basketball facilities for coaching and talent development clinics. It will also be used for national and international competition.
Commenting on the new facilities, Mr Baumann said: “The passion for sport is clearly present here in Zambia and now they have facilities that allow sports like basketball to be practised in conditions that match this passion.
“We recognise our responsibilities to promote and develop basketball throughout the world and at all levels, not only in the professional game. This new centre will be an asset in helping promising young athletes develop, and will also contribute towards some of the social and community-based projects that sport is so effective in carrying out.”
FIBA
FIBA donated the necessary resources for the construction of three outdoor basketball courts and supplied additional equipment, including fixed and movable backstop units, game shot clocks, electronic scoreboards, uniforms and balls, with equipment also destined for basketball in multipurpose indoor facilities.
The sports complex, which has the backing of FIBA as well as the international federations for athletics, boxing, weightlifting, handball and hockey, will be owned and operated by the National Olympic Committee of Zambia.
The new complex was built as part of the IOC’s ‘Sports for Hope’ programme, which aims to provide athletes, young people and communities in developing countries with better access to sport and the positive values it can convey. It will help develop elite performance among athletes on regional and national levels, while also engaging in health and community based programmes.
The centre will be run in close cooperation with national and international sports federations, with the Zambian Basketball Federation being able to use the basketball facilities for coaching and talent development clinics. It will also be used for national and international competition.
Commenting on the new facilities, Mr Baumann said: “The passion for sport is clearly present here in Zambia and now they have facilities that allow sports like basketball to be practised in conditions that match this passion.
“We recognise our responsibilities to promote and develop basketball throughout the world and at all levels, not only in the professional game. This new centre will be an asset in helping promising young athletes develop, and will also contribute towards some of the social and community-based projects that sport is so effective in carrying out.”
FIBA
# posted by afrbk : 18:41
