TEGUCIGALPA (Honduras) - Following the MOU signed by the FIBA Foundation and Special Olympics, the Foundation encouraged FIBA member National Federations to join efforts to include Special Olympics children and youth in their basketball programs.

Special Olympics is a global movement of people creating a new world of inclusion and community, where every single person is accepted and welcomed, regardless of ability or disability. Through the power of sports, people with intellectual disabilities discover new strengths and abilities, skills and success.

The National Basketball Federation of Honduras became the first Latin American Federation to include Special Olympics into their program in 2020 when they joined forces with Special Olympics Honduras to create “Basketball For Good Honduras - Choose to Include”.   The program aims to create inclusion through sports and offer basketball activities to athletes with intellectual disabilities who are part of the Special Olympics Honduras programs.

On October 29 and 30, the Federation organized a certification course for 20 coaches chosen by Special Olympics Honduras. The aim is to involve them in the first unified national 3x3 tournament in 2022. Each team will be made up of athletes with and without disabilities.  

During the theoretical part of the course, the objectives of the project and the FIBA ​​3x3 development principles were presented, together with the values ​​of inclusion promoted by the FIBA Foundation and the official rules of 3x3 Special Olympics International. A posthumous tribute was also paid to Mr. Patrick Baumann (late FIBA Secretary General) for his work in promoting 3x3.

The practical activities were developed with specific Special Olympics 3x3 rules along with Play-based activities that can be used for Mini Basketball.

Carmen Cubas, who participated in the first American Mini Basketball Convention in 2019 and who has worked hard ever since to promote Basketball For Good within her Federation is at the heart of the project.

She explains “We drew a court on a game board and recreated a half court by making markings on the pavement, showing participants how to use creativity and tools from the environment when sports equipment and courts are not available”.

Participants also received additional information on how to complete the FIBA 3x3 E-learning program and on the adaptability of the game.

“Thanks to the support of the FIBA Foundation and Molten, we were able to grow the impact of the project while including a 3x3 component” said Carmen.

She concluded, “our objectives are to offer Basketball to all at any age and skill level and to promote inclusion through 3x3. In the future, we hope to qualify Honduras for its first International Special Olympics basketball competition in Lima Peru 2023”.

Special Olympics will be presented today in the Spanish speaking Mini Basketball virtual seminars with the aim of inspiring more National Federations to include athletes with intellectual disabilities into their Mini Basketball programs.

About Mini Basketball

The FIBA Foundation’s Mini Basketball program is a global Basketball For Good initiative to improve health and well-being of 5-12 year old children and to fight physical inactivity and childhood obesity. It is an inclusive grassroots basketball movement addressed to girls and boys and their parents and uses fun & game based learning. Please contact us if you want to know more about our programs or if you are interested to work with us.