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Reported by:
Mr. Kjell Gunnå,
DIBF Secretary General
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Report on DIBF Coaches clinic/development
seminar in Buenos Aires, Argentina 16 - 19 September 2003.
Organisations involved
In co-operation with the PanAmdes Confederation, the Argentinean
Deaf Sports Federation and with economical contribution from the
FIBA, the recently recognised Deaf International Basketball Federation,
in Buenos Aires 16-19 September 2003 arranged its first deaf basketball
coaches clinic/ development seminar ever in South America. The
coaches clinic/development seminar was held in connection with
the third PanAmdes Games. Conductors of the clinic/seminar were
DIBF President Mr. Jussi Raisio and me, the DIBF Secretary General
Kjell Gunnå. This was the second time a clinic/seminar was
arranged with support by the FIBA. The first was arranged in Beijing,
China, in December 2002 within the frames of Comité International
des Sports des Sourds (CISS).
Mr
Horacio Aleva and Mr Ruben Torres, President and Secretary General
of Argentinean Deaf Sports Federation respectively, helped me
to plan and make contacts with necessary people in advance for
booking lodging and gym for the clinic/seminar. They also translated
invitation into Spanish language and sent them out to the participating
countries. I am very grateful for their positive and creative
help in arranging this clinic/seminar. I also want to forward
my deeply felt gratitude to the clinic/seminar participant Mr.
Marcelo Garcia, Argentina, for his great and invaluable contribution
to the successful outcome of the clinic/seminar. Mr. Garcia took
care of many minor questions that arose during the course of the
clinic/seminar.
One of the USA participants, Ms. Laura Edwards, also contributed
greatly with her experience and pedagogical skills to the clinic/seminar.
Location and participants
The clinic/seminar took place at Club Banco Provincia de Buenos
Aires in Vicente López where also all participants were
accommodated. It attracted 13 people: One woman from Cuba, one
woman and man from Venezuela, one woman and man from USA, one
man from Chile and the rest from host-country Argentina. There
were more participants from other countries expected but somehow
the meaning of invitation did not really reach all basketball
people in the countries concerned. I fear that sometimes the invitation
was piled up in the offices of the Deaf Sports Federations. Together
with us two conductors there were all in all 15 people attending
the clinic/seminar but some of the Argentinean participants were
also active in the PanAmdes Games so sometimes they had to leave
the clinic/seminar for work in the Games. The clinic/seminar was
conducted quite in accordance with the attached program. To the
DIBF Central Board and Mr. Jan Berteling of the FIBA is also an
account of expenses for the seminar/clinic attached.
Accommodation
The accommodation was very good and fully met with the requirements
of the participants
PanAmdes Games information
The third PanAmdes Games in Buenos Aires attracted about 600 participants
from 11 countries which is a record. The Games were very well
organised and co-ordinated for the sports athletics track and
field, basketball, football, volleyball and swimming. The basketball
tournament attracted six men teams and three women teams. In connection
with the Games also the third PanAmdes Congress was arranged.
Congratulations to the arrangers!
Earlier PanAmdes Games have been arranged in Caracas, Venezuela
in 1995 and in Havanna, Cuba in 1999. It is not clear yet but
the next PanAmdes Games 2007 will most probably be arranged in
Mexico City, Mexico.
In 2004 in August the second Youth PanAmdes Games will be arranged
in Montreal, Canada with the sports athletics track and field,
swimming and for the first time basketball. This is a very interesting
development for the DIBF to watch.
FIBA Sponsor
The FIBA, through Mr. Jan Berteling, President of the FIBA Council
for Basketball for People with a Dysfunction, sponsored this clinic/seminar
by contribution with 75% of the expenses of flight-tickets for
the participants and with 100% for the accommodation and other
local expenses. I would like to forward my deepest gratitude to
Mr. Jan Berteling and the FIBA for their contribution to the successful
outcome of the seminar/clinic. Without this economical contribution
I really doubt that this clinic/seminar would ever have been carried
through at all.
Aims and goals with clinic/seminar
The aims and goals with the seminar/clinic were in the first hand
to offer deaf basketball coaches and leaders fundamental knowledge
of how lead a basketball group, make up plans for training and
practice, to develop deaf basketball in their home-countries and
to give them self-confidence to approach hearing basketball associations
to seek co-operation and guidance for their continued development.
Lectures
There were training sessions everyday during the clinic/seminar
between 10.00 - 12.00 hrs led by my. A young basketball team consisting
of 10-12 deaf players from a deaf school nearby was supposed to
help us show the clinic/seminar participants how to plan, construct
and carry through programs for training sessions. But unfortunately
due to some misunderstanding the team could not show up wherefore
I had to use some of the participants instead.
Between 13.00 - about 18.00 hrs everyday there were theoretical
sessions led by Mr. Jussi Raisio and me. Mr. Raisio took care
of introduction and information about the DIBF and its program.
The lecture room was well equipped with facilities to ensure a
good review of the seminar content and smooth discussions.
Conclusion
The clinic/seminar was, according to the participants, a great
success which should comprise the aims and goals of the clinic/seminar
expressed above. I am sure in future we will see the participants
in leading roles of deaf basketball in their home-countries and
with fully developed contacts with the hearing basketball organisation
of their home-countries.
In the evenings the participant group socialised very much and
exchanged many cultural ideas with sign-language, imitating each
other and other cultural actions such as comparing Latino-American
dancing, American Square Dance and Nordic Jenka and Folk-dancing.
The group was very closely united through this. This was amazingly
to see and proved the need for deaf people from other countries
to meet each other.
The DIBF also wishes to forward its gratitude to the Argentinean
Deaf Sports Federation which after the clinic/seminar covered
all expenses for local transports and accommodation at Hotel Regency
for Mr. Jussi Raisio, my wife Gull-Britt and me during the opening
of the PanAmdes Games and four days thereafter. This meant that
Jussi Raisio and I could introduce ourselves to many people and
make many contacts among deaf basketball people from South-America.
The DIBF was also represented by the President Jussi Raisio at
a reception arranged by the Canadian Deaf Sports Federation in
connection with information regarding its arrangement of second
Youth PanAmdes Games in 2004.
Special thanks to my wife Gull-Britt who was of great help to
me during the clinic/seminar in bringing order in the economical
transactions with the participants and for accounting of the trip.
Thanks to this I could concentrate on my work with the clinic/seminar
and representing the DIBF.
Respectfully submitted,
Kjell Gunnå
Secretary General DIBF
Report
