The German Embassy in Ghana on June 23, 2014 organised a one-day basketball training event for school children at the El Wak Sports Stadium in Accra.
The event, dubbed “Basketball fun day”, sought to celebrate the donation ofbasketball equipment to the beneficiary schools of this year’s German sports promotion initiative as well as foster interactions and exchanges between participating schools.
Addressing participants at the event, the outgoing Deputy German Ambassador, Mr. Thomas Wimmer stressed the crucial role of sports in promoting fairness, teamwork, tolerance and peaceful competition; and therefore expressed his outfit’s pride to have been able to equip some schools in Accra with basketballs and hoops to enhance the play of the sport.
According to him, sports is a great way to improve international relations since it has a proven ability to transcend linguistic, political and cultural barriers.
Mr. Thomas Wimmer also called for more initiatives in international sports promotion in order to ensure the development and empowerment of the youth, the disabled and women in the country.
The German Sports Promotion Initiative was established by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany in 1951 to extend recreational sports all around the world. The initiative aims at helping integrating minorities and marginalized groups within the society by specifically promoting women sports, handicapped sports, youth sports and sports for victims of conflicts.
The six schools, Accra Girls Senior High School, Dzorwulu Special School, New Horizon School for the Disabled, NVTI Dansoman, Alajo 3 & 4 Primary School, and the Swiss-German International School, who participated in the “Basketball Fun Day” event were taken through the rudiments of the game by seasoned basketball coach Joseph Lubarov, as part of efforts to promote the sport in the country.
The Mmofra Foundation for children and the rehabilitation center of the Pantang psychiatric hospital were also amongst the institutions in Ghana to receive sports donations from the embassy this year.
By: Prince Asare, Diplomatic Call.
