BEIRUT (Lebanon) - Three Sports Performance Specialist (SPS) programs were organized by FIBA Regional Office - Asia in three different cities in Saudi Arabia between November 2022 and January 2023.

The first such program was held from 25-26 November 2022 in Dammam. The following SPS program was held from 16-17 December 2022 in Riyadh and the most recent one was held from 27-28 January 2023 in Jeddah.

The Sports Performance Specialist Program (SPS) is the Regional Office's initiative that aims to empower local physical trainers in Asia and to promote strength and conditioning in the national teams and local clubs.

Participants of the program were engaged and left feeling have benefitted from their participation.

Mousa Essa Al Amrad , a participating coach said: “It was great to attend the program. I took some ideas on how to teach the players in our team. I’m thankful for this opportunity.” 

The objectives of the SPS program are to instruct coaches, athletes, and stakeholders regarding the strength and conditioning of the Basketball game; spread awareness through education to have better return on investments for basketball clubs and management; have a pool of local candidates to hire qualified strength and conditioning coaches for planning and implementing programs across national teams and clubs; improve the athletic capabilities of the national teams and Clubs by building young generations with proper biomechanics/human movement; and decrease injury incidence among players.

Abdulaziz Alfaraidy, another participant said: “I would like to appreciate and give huge credit for the amazing course that was held in Riyadh. Big thanks for giving us the opportunity to develop our sport and basketball in particular. The course was amazing and loaded with quality and useful information. The course provided crucial information on how to strengthen the coaches in Saudi Arabia and what tools should be given to them to work on developing the local athletes. I can’t wait for the next courses!”

Ahmad Shami, another participant said: “As a basketball coach, I believe it is very important to understand what a player’s body needs to perform at its best. Therefore, taking part in this course was a priority for me. A sports performance specialist’s main goal is to prevent injuries as much as possible. Being able to obtain the knowledge necessary to possibly protect my players from an injury or teach them how to take better care of their bodies motivated me and increased my interest in the topics the lecturer shared with us. My colleagues and I were fortunate to have a lot of our methods, techniques, and ideas corrected and redirected in a way that allows us to create better organized and well-studied strength and conditioning programs that actually benefit the players.”

Saudi Arabia is the most recent country to have hosted the SPS program organized by FIBA Regional Office - Asia, with the first-ever program being hosted in Lebanon.  The SPS program also took place in Palestine, Qatar, Maldives, Syria, Mongolia, Iran, Singapore, Kuwait, Turkmenistan, and Iran.

The Regional Office, through this program, is aiming to lay the foundation of physical training, through education, to elevate the standard of strength and conditioning coaches in basketball.

FIBA