Photographed by Christopher Andres at the 2024 FIBA Open
Soaring mountains in the background, sparkling Lake Geneva in the foreground and an all-encompassing feast Basketball 3×3 In the middle of everything! at recent days International Basketball Federation The event opened in Mies, Switzerland, where 11 Special Olympics teams gathered from June 15-16, 2024. Beyond the picturesque location and intense competition on the field, the event represents an important annual milestone in the strong and ongoing partnership between Special Olympics and the IFRC Foundation. For basketball.
The partnership, which was formalized six years ago Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi, which was renewed for the 2023 FIBA World Cup in Manila, was a natural fit for both organizations from the beginning. Miroslav Krugolic, Special Olympics European Eurasia Vice President of Sport and Organizational Development, discussed how our organizations’ key priorities align. “Both of our organizations focus on supporting the development of young leaders, 3×3 basketball, mini-basketball, and of course cross-functional integration,” he said. “This is not only the case in Europe, but in the whole world.”
Photographed by Christopher Andres at the 2024 FIBA Open
Speaking from the home of Patrick Bowman Basketball at Mays — the venue for the FIBA Open — Therrien (TJ) Bullock Jr., senior director at the FIBA Foundation, agreed. “The FIBA Foundation exists because basketball is an incredibly popular sport that impacts so many people around the world, and with that comes a responsibility to grow the basketball community as much as possible to include everyone,” he noted. “Special Olympics is an important part of the basketball community.” The global basket that we want to include. He added: “The idea is for anyone and everyone to be able to find their place and feel safe when playing the sport they love and our mission is to enable that.”
The presence of a Special Olympics category in the last six editions of the FIBA Open – the largest 3×3 tournament in Switzerland with more than 1,100 players in total – is a clear message of the inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities in the FIBA family. Watching the finals on the field on Sunday morning, Miroslav commented: “It is a truly inclusive event. Our unified teams are treated in the same way, with complete dignity, as any other team.
The development of 3×3 basketball has also been a core theme of the partnership. “More than 70 Special Olympics Unified teams from 25 countries attended,” Miroslav added. Six versions of FIBA Open 3×3. We are looking for more female players and teams to play in the future.
Photographed by Christopher Andres at the 2024 FIBA Open.
He commented: “The FIBA Foundation supported the development of 3×3 basketball in Special Olympics. I believe that the inclusion of Special Olympics in the FIBA Open allowed 3×3 basketball to become more widely accepted throughout the organization. Therrien believes 3×3 is a particularly good fit for Special Olympics’ unified sports model. “With fewer players on the field, everyone has the opportunity to play their role, both offensively and defensively,” he added.
The growth of 3×3 basketball in Special Olympics shows no sign of slowing down. Miroslav noted that a global 3×3 basketball event is scheduled to be held in Puerto Rico in December 2025. A total of 40 unified teams, male and female and from all regions, will compete.
As for the FIBA Open in Switzerland, the hope is that participants will eventually be selected from around the world. “This year we had a team from China as well as several European teams,” concluded Thern. “That was amazing. In the future, it would be great to have a Special Olympics team from every region in the world.”
