MIAMI – FIBA Americas and its central Office in Mies launched a long-term program to grow and develop key National Federations in the Americas. The first three National Federations visited were Bahamas, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. During the visit the team from FIBA had a chance to meet with the National Federations, Minester of Sports, and National Olympic Committee of each country. Another 5 National Federations from the Americas are scheduled to be visited in 2019.

The project that represents a pillar that has been promoted under the direction of the FIBA President Horacio Muratore, focuses on identifying the needs and providing tools to the National Federations to accelerate their growth in a way that increases their possibilities of carrying out the mission of the International Basketball Federation in their respective countries: develop and promote the sport of basketball, while uniting the community and its members.

Through the National Federations Development Program, the federations will be provided with office, basketball and technological equipment to strengthen the areas of opportunity at the structure level, and will allocate human resources that can assist in their operation. This first stage will be implemented in 2018-19 and will be expanded in a second phase for 2020-23 that will focus on four essential aspects: Strategic Plan, the increase of participants of basketball, and the training of Coaches and Referees.

 
Muratore accompanied Carlos Alves, FIBA Americas Executive Director, Florian Pasquet, FIBA Sports and National Federations Manager, and Paulo Villas Boas, who has been appointed by FIBA Americas to lead the implementation of the program in the continent, as the members of the FIBA delegation that held meetings with the executive board of the three national federations, as well as the highest sports authorities in the respective countries, such as Romel Knowles, President of the Bahamas Olympic Committee, Hon. Lanisha Tamar Rolle, Minister of Sport, Youth and Culture of the Bahamas, Luis Rafael Mejía Oviedo, President of the Dominican Olympic Committee, Lic. Danilo Díaz, Minister of Sport of the Dominican Republic, Mr. Jaime Lamboy, Director of High Performance of the Puerto Rico Olympic Committee, Max Díaz, Sub-Secretary of the Department of Recreation and Sports of Puerto Rico, and Carmen Yulín Cruz, Mayor of the city of San Juan. The FIBA delegation also met with Presidents of professional and youth leagues, and state associations.

"It is vitally important for FIBA to empower our National Federations to succeed in their goals of growing basketball in their country. This Development Program represents a unity effort through which we want to bring together all the basketball stakeholders to sit at the same table to work with each other so that we can achieve the vision of the future we all have in common: to make basketball the most practiced sport. That is what it is about, to help all those responsible for basketball in their country to have the tools to achieve their goals, which in turn are our goals and the goals of everyone who loves our sport.", said FIBA President Horacio Muratore.

"We had very productive meetings with Mario Bowleg (President of the Bahamas Basketball Federation), Rafael Uribe (President of the Dominican Basketball Federation) and Yum Ramos (President of the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation) in which we identified urgent problems that should be and have already been addressed in this first visit and other situations that will need long-term attention and planning. But this Development Program that has been promoted by our FIBA President Horacio Muratore and fully supported by our FIBA Americas President Usie Richards, is one that starts from the premise that these national federations need precisely this type of support to raise their quality and to strengthen our region. FIBA understands that this is a necessary investment for our sport to grow in the continent of the Americas and this has been a great first step in the right direction. To make this investment we have to understand their plan, strategy, problems and the possible solutions from all points of view. It has been very proactive, and we have seen a lot of participation on the part of all the stakeholders that have been present in the meetings. We have started on a very strong note and with a clear vision", said the Executive Director of FIBA Americas Carlos Alves.

The Development of National Federations Project will continue in the Americas region with visits to Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Panama.

FIBA