I’ve had a love affair with
basketball for 50 years. I just can’t
get enough of the sport and participate wherever I live. In Nepal I’ve found basketball through
coaching an Army Wheelchair Basketball team, playing in a number of locations
and conducting a three hour session for school age children called “Life
Lessons from Basketball”. But I’ve also
found the real Nepal Basketball through my friend and coach of the Men’s National Team, Dinesh Nakarmi.
Dinesh is someone who also has a
deep love for the game but especially for growing the sport in Nepal. Given Dinesh’s experience he has the
potential for opportunities in other countries but he only wants to make
basketball successful in Nepal. I very
much admire that in him, given all of the politics that I’ve found in the
sporting world.
Towards growing the game Dinesh is
the General Secretary of the National Sports Council program to further develop
school basketball. (The President is
Yuvraj Sharma, Chief Executive and Director of Whitehouse College) This is truly great and will hopefully help
to develop young Nepali boys and girls and provide them with a means to stay
emotionally and physically healthy throughout their entire lives by playing
sports, eating well and continuing their education.
Recently Dinesh and the Naya Bazar
Club (NBC) an NGO Community Based Organization (CBO) dedicated to helping society through mobilization of youth,
organised the Kirtipur Cup Basketball Tournament 2069. Since its inception NBC has been involved in
many sports activities, including basketball, football, table tennis and
volleyball.
The purpose of the league, which
includes six teams, i.e. Naya Bazar Club, NASA Club, Goldengate Club, Gurukul
National Foundation, Whitehouse and Tribhuvan Army Club, is to:
·
Improve the standard of national
basketball;
·
Increase the popularity of this
game;
·
Encourage and to provide
opportunity for young people to participate in sports;
·
Improve players, coaches and
referees;
·
Arouse the public interest which will generate the
necessary investments.
I
attended the first series of matches, two games with another being rained out, on February 16 and was not
disappointed. Some of the players I had
seen before as they are on the Men’s National Team, however they were divided
among the six teams. One of the teams
didn’t have a coach and I helped them during the second half, although they
ultimately lost.
My
feeling is that it is vital for this type of tournament and school basketball
programs to occur, if the sport is to become more popular. But there is much more to it, as
basketball lessons abound for life,
including teamwork, commitment, leadership, discipline, opportunities, as well
as many others.
There also is the question of proper
infrastructure, which at this point is difficult to find. Although the court that I saw on February 16
was very well maintained, most of the courts, including those that I play on
are sub-par, very slippery, dangerous, without proper baskets. Additionally the majority of courts are
outside, so that when there is inclement weather there is no playing.
As
I found from coaching in India for three years, basketball can be an equalizer. It is very important that girls and women are
given the same opportunities as boys and men to participate in basketball, i.e.
whenever there is tournament, it should include competitions for everyone. It is also important to treat all fans the
same and allow everyone to sit together to cheer for their favorite players and
teams. This will also help to grow the
game.
I’m
very encouraged by what I’ve seen during my eight months in Nepal. My hope is that the love of basketball will
continue to grow among the general populous and that more people will play, no
matter what level of expertise they have.
But further I hope that everyone, young and old will participate in any
sport which they enjoy in order to keep themselves healthy throughout their
lives.
For
further information about the Tournament, please go to: http://nbc.org.np/kbl/index.htm
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