BEIRUT (Lebanon) - FIBA Regional Office - Asia held a Ball’In Schools program in Mongolia from 20-23 September. 

Ball'In Schools is a grassroots basketball development project that aims to help plant the seeds of love for the game of basketball at a young age, especially in schools. In previous years, Ball'In Schools programs were held in Bhutan, Laos, and Oman, which were well-received in each respective country. The program has continued to grow and expand throughout the year, with Ball'In Schools also having been organized in Saudi Arabia, Maldives, Palestine, Qatar, and Jordan.

The program addresses the current and common challenges that slow down the development of the game, such as the insufficient presence of the sport in schools; the absence of age groups competitions and tournaments, or the low quality of basketball infrastructure and limited accessibility. Ball'In Schools does so by empowering local ambassadors with a program to push for basketball in schools. These programs are trained by experts selected by the FIBA Regional Office Asia.

Tugsjargal Sambuu Secretary General of Mongolian Basketball Association (MBA) said: "MBA is focusing on developing the skills of Physical Education teachers and coaches. We need to improve the knowledge of our PE-s, teachers, and coaches as they work with young players. The Ball’In School project was a much needed project for us."

"I am glad to have attended this four-day program and i really enjoyed the experience and learned new teaching methods and techniques. It' was an eye opener for me, said one of the participants, Tamjid Battuvshin.

The idea behind Ball'In Schools is the empowerment of local ambassadors to have a self-sustainable grassroots development program. Having more players and increasing the demand for basketball on its own should be the driver of the program to lead to long-term growth of basketball.

FIBA