BOGOTA — FIBA Americas and their central offices implemented a National Federations Growth and Development Program in the Americas, and it has been the great pillar promoted by the direction of FIBA President Horacio Muratore. It is focused on identifying the needs and grant the tools to the national federations to bolster their growth in such a way that it increases the possibilities of putting into effect the mission of the International Federation: developing and promoting the sport of basketball while uniting the community and its members. For this reason, on Wednesday, February 13, Colombia will welcome the President of FIBA, as well as Carlos Alves, FIBA Americas Executive Director; and Florian Pasquet, FIBA National Federations and Sports Senior Associate.

Through the Development of National Federations project, the Federation will be aided with office, basketball and technological equipment that will help to strengthen areas of opportunity in their structural level, and there will be human resources appointed to assist them with their operations.

“It’s a privilege for Colombia to be among the federations chosen by FIBA due to the results and the work done in recent years. Other federations in the Americas were also visited, such as the Bahamas, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico,” expressed the Colombian Basketball Federation's President, Jorge Armando García.

This first stage will be implemented in 2019 and will extend to a second phase for 2020-23, focusing on three essential areas: a strategic plan, practicing the sport, and preparing coaches and game officials.

“We aim to achieve to develop basketball even more. That's our objective and we must do it with passion and together. FIBA made a great change. In 2014, when I took charge, my goal was to be closer to national federations. We want to help them all, we've started quite some time ago to work with these projects. No sport can develop without children bouncing the ball. It's impossible if we don't have the foundation,” added Horacio Muratore.

During the visit, the FIBA delegation will meet with the administrative level of the Colombian Federation; the National Director of Coldeportes, Ernesto Lucena Barrero; the Colombian Olympic Committee; and the Commissioner of the Professional Division of Basketball. They will also visit the Coldeportes National High-Performance Center and Sports Villa.

FIBA