Buzz surrounds Oceania Women's Empowerment Programme

GOLD COAST - There's a real buzz in the Oceania region where eight prominent females have headed to the Gold Coast and are currently participating in an exciting Women's Empowerment Programme.

With the objective of identifying, supporting and training key women who are currently involved in basketball right across the Pacific region, the programme is focusing on helping attendees enhance their leadership, governance and public speaking skills.

Participants are being given the opportunity to learn from some of the Pacific's most experienced basketball administrators and coaches, including the likes of 2015 Class of FIBA Hall of Fame inductee Jan Stirling, her fellow ex-Opals' coach Carrie Graf and Australian Olympic Chef de Mission, Kitty Chiller.

"This is an exciting initiative that we have received support from the Australian Government for," declared FIBA Regional Director, David Crocker.

"The opportunity to build and support a network of female leaders across the Pacific is important in our overall objectives of growing the number of people who participate in basketball and the quality of leadership and management of the national federations in our region."

The project is being facilitated via Australia Awards, which are prestigious international Scholarships and Fellowships funded by the Australian Government. These aim to build capacity and strengthen partnerships between Australian organisations and eligible partners located in developing countries, in order to support key development and foreign affairs priorities.

By providing short-term study, research and professional development opportunities in Australia, emerging leaders are able to tap into Australian expertise and gain valuable skills and knowledge.

Fellows include prominent Papua New Guinean sports personality and former national team player, Karo Lelai. A lawyer and Secretary of the Basketball Federation, she's fresh from hosting a successful Pacific Games in Port Moresby.

Also participating in the programme is FIBA Central Board member Deborah Shoniber from the Marshall Islands. She also sits on the Marshall Islands National Olympic Committee board and is a Human Resource Manager for her family's multinational enterprise.

Other participants include Oceania National Olympic Committee OSEP co-ordinator for the North Pacific, Jubilee Kuartei, and Nauru Basketball Federation Secretary General, Leona Star.

The Women's Empowerment Programme began on Monday and is scheduled to run until 10 September.

FIBA