Basketball For Good Activities at the European Youth Championships

MIES (Switzerland) The FIBA Foundation European Youth Leadership Program 2023 has successfully concluded.

Nominated by their National Federations (NFs), 17 participating Youth Leaders from 14 different countries attended 4 virtual sessions, as well as an in-person workshop linked to the FIBA Open at FIBA’s Headquarters in Switzerland.

In collaboration with their NFs, the Youth Leaders have gone ahead to coordinate Basketball For Good initiatives at the European Youth Championships within their countries. The following examples highlight successful Basketball For Good initiatives rolled out at the respective events.

In Turkey, the Youth Leaders ran an engaging 3x3 basketball tournament for volunteers and spectators named “B’All Together”. Each of the 8 teams was named after one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to promote these global goals.

Initiated during the Youth Leaders workshop, the Basketball For Good Cup was integrated as a qualification system to participate. The ones who scored the most points could take part in the event – resulting in a total of 602 points scored, which accounts for a remarkable 642 kg CO² saved.

The Basketball For Good Cup was also a success in Romania with over 60 participating players, volunteers, and fans. This effort resulted not only in enhanced environmental awareness but also in a total of 1617 kg CO2 saved through the activities.

In parallel, the “ Her World, Her Rules" project was also implemented in Romania, gathering 30 participating girls. The project combined an environmental and intercultural awareness workshop and a joint practice session with the Slovakian national team.

Further south, Bulgaria organized a donation during the FIBA U18 Women’s European Championships. The participating players’ jerseys and warm-up shirts were offered to institutions serving children requiring additional support. It was made possible by the collaboration of the Bulgarian Basketball Federation and the Bulgarian Sports Federation for Children and Youth at Risk.

A similar action was carried out by Montenegro who, in partnership with the Red Cross, made a donation of jerseys from the participating teams to the Children’s Home in Bijela, where more than 170 orphans reside.

Some hosting countries such as Kosovo decided to focus on climate action. An initiative was organized on the off day of the event, consisting of a theoretical introduction to the topics, the planting of flowers with flags from each participating country, and a communication campaign to promote the SDGs.

Andorra also promoted climate change by turning the championship more sustainable and plastic-free.

In Greece, numerous initiatives to address the SDGs and create a social impact of the event, including an educational campaign about the awareness of testicular cancer and self-examination, as well as an experiential disability awareness workshops were carried out.

North Macedonia had its players from all participating teams engaged in dribbling and shooting challenges in mixed teams with Special Olympics national team players for enhanced inclusion and unity.

The Youth Leaders are now responsible for spreading the Basketball For Good movement within their respective communities and NFs.

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The FIBA Foundation recognizes the importance of sustainable development and is dedicated to supporting initiatives that align with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals by using Basketball For Good.