GABORONE/JOHANNESBURG - The Deaf International Basketball Federation (DIBF) is making impressive strides in Africa through multiple projects which promote opportunities to aspiring deaf players.

Initiatives in both Botswana and South Africa are underway to raise the profile of the sport and encourage more deaf players to pick up a basketball.

In Botswana, this is being encouraged through better promotion and understanding across various platforms – with a historic chapter written in terms of national television coverage.

A delegation including DIBF World Secretary General Jurgen Endress, DIBF Central Board Member Dario Pignataro and DIBF Africa Representative Tom Okiki Ndede met with the Botswana Deaf Sports Federation (BDSF) and the Botswana Basketball Association (BBA) to discuss a range of issues.

This included how the BBA can help BDSF in promoting deaf basketball in teams of technical support, including the provision of coaches to identify, develop and nurture emerging talent of deaf basketball players in the nation. This has the added purpose of helping those players to prepare adequately for future international competitions such as the World Deaf Basketball Championship and Deaflympics.

As part of the visit, a leadership seminar and clinic was facilitated by the DIBF delegation at the University of Botswana, with 18 players and 12 leaders attending – including deaf students from Ramotswa Secondary School and Maun Senior School.

Botswana Television (BTV) team also attended the event and for the first time in the country’s history, a deaf sports event was broadcast – something which is deemed to have opened the eyes of the general public in understanding the capabilities of deaf sportsmen and women.

It also helped to engage the Government’s Sports Ministry and some corporate institutions to support the ongoing promotion and development of deaf sports and other recreational activities, with the Botswana National Sports Councils (BNSC) forming a steering committee to oversee this.

Deaf International Basketball Federation (DIBF) clinic in Johannesburg, South Africa

Meanwhile the DIBF team also made a trip to Johannesburg to conduct another clinic and leadership seminar, with the support of South African Deaf Sports Federation (SADSF) President, Julius Maxajwe.

There was participation from some 24 deaf students from the Filadelfia and Sizwile Schools, as well as 14 Deaf sports officials from South African Deaf Sports Federation (SADSF).

In the leadership presentation, Jurgen Endress pointed out the importance of having a Technical Director within the Federation for co-ordination purposes.

This positively influenced participants to choose a Technical Director of Basketball which will be submitted to SADSF for approval and as part of this plan, the SADSF has promised to promote Deaf basketball in the Republic of South Africa.

FIBA