BFPNG visit Kerema for historic three-day basketball camp

KEREMA (Papua New Guinea) - Basketball Federation of Papua New Guinea (BFPNG) showed yet again their commitment to expanding their basketball program throughout the country. The Basketball Federation visited the Kerema District at the Gulf Province.

The BFPNG delegation included President Karo Lelai, Hoops For Health Coordinator Jordan Sere, and accompanied by Power Lifting World Record Holder, Linda Pulsan.

"It was a big delegation for our BFPNG team including our President and coaching volunteers," shared BFPNG CEO, Nick Daroa. "We were also honored to have Linda (Pulsan) with us because her impact with the participants was felt according to our team."

The Federation's visit to Kerema was planned for weeks and, BFPNG conducted various programs to help promote and develop the game in the district; which includes an Introduction to Basketball, Hoops For Health Coaches, and Referees Court Session, 3x3 Introduction, and a Skills Challenge to conclude the 3-day event.

"The programs rolled out in Kerema were a huge success although for most of the participants this is their first time to be introduced to the sport. But with the help of the players and coaches of the Kerema Amateur Basketball Association the event attracted a lot of people that wanted to learn the game," shared Daroa.

"We were able to organize 3x3 tournaments for U15, U18, and Open Mix to all the participants joining the camps," he added.

BFPNG also included an Olympic Values Education Program (OVEP), which was headed by Pulsan, and the presence of the sporting icon was a huge boost to the program according to Daroa.

"We are going to look and review this program but I believe having someone like Linda or Peter Pulu who are national icons in the country is a great value add to us running our programs," he explained.

An innovation that BFPNG was proud to share was the Skills Challenge they organized for Kerema. The Federation applied their learnings from participating in the FIBA U15 Skills Challenge earlier this year.

"The new Skills Challenge was an eye-opener because everyone was so excited and eager to participate when we were setting up the court. The feedback we received from coaches, parents, and spectators were overwhelming," said H4H Coordinator Jordan Sere.

Despite the challenges brought upon by the COVID-19 pandemic, BFPNG is following up on its commitment to bring the game beyond Port Moresby. Daroa vowed that BFPNG is only beginning, with its goal of making basketball one of the most popular sport in the country.

"While the pandemic has affected many sporting federations in the country, BFPNG is finding ways to continue to reach new heights. Thanks to our partners FIBA, Pacific Sports Partnerships, the PNG Olympic Committee, and PNG Sports Foundation, we are reinforcing our commitment as a Federation to continuously support, grow and develop the game in the country," Daroa proudly shared.

BFPNG's Hoops For Health program under their Basketball For Good strategy is supported by the Australian Government through the Pacific Sports Partnerships, and FIBA's Foundation, the International Basketball Foundation.

 FIBA