This week Basketball Fiji are running a Coaches Training Workshop at FASANOC, Suva, as part of the Hoops for Health program.

 

The workshop is being facilitated by Basketball Fiji’s Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Laisiasa Puamau and Raiwaqa Basketball Association’s President, Mr. Saula Koroi. It follows on from the FIBA/MiSO workshop held in Nadi last week attended by representatives of the Basketball Federations of Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, and Kiribati.

 

BF have brought in coaches from both the central and western divisions of Fiji to better equip them with the skills to deliver quality sport programs at the primary school level. For this reason, the workshop is also being attended by a number of primary school teachers and development officers from the Fiji National Sports Commission.

 

Day One of the program looks at an overview of what the Hoops for Health program is and the benefits of Sports in Communities. 75% of all deaths in the Pacific can be attributed to Non-Communicable Diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. The Hoops for Health program is looking at using basketball as a tool to teach young people the importance of physical activity and living an active and healthy lifestyle to try and reduce this statistic.

 

Later in the day, the coaches will learn about different coaching techniques and the opportunities presented by 3X3 before taking to the court at the University of the South Pacific to engage in a practical session on basketball fundamentals.

 

Attending the workshop is the National Basketball Development Officers of Vanuatu, Kiribati and the Solomon Islands who will be looking to hold similar workshops in their countries in the coming months.

 

Basketball Fiji representative Mr. Saula Koroi commented that he hopes that the coaches take the lessons they learn from this workshop and implement them in such a way that their activities become “more than just basketball”. “We have an opportunity,” he said, “to teach our young kids the fundamentals of basketball but also how to become an active and healthy member of their communities.”

 

The Hoops for Health program is funded through the Australian government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Pacific Sport Partnerships program. The workshop is also being attended by FIBA in Oceania staff members Jo Ferris, Annie La Fleur, and Catherine Grawich.