African Press Agency
Sunday, October 05, 2008
The president of the Somali Basketball Federation Aden Hajji Yabarow, popularly known as Wiish, in addressing the opening ceremony of the seminar said that his federation plans to hold more seminars to upgrade the knowledge of all basketball referees.
“We are going to hold more seminars and symposiums before next year and we will send experts to all regions in the country,” he said.
During the five day-seminar, the 62 referees will be given lectures at the Hotel Jeddah and do their practicals at the First July Basketball Stadium in Mogadishu’s eastern neighborhood.
“We are going to start the 25th national basketball championship by October 17 and we are holding this seminar as part of the preparations for the championships,” Mr. Wiish said.
Ibrahim Hussein Ali and Abdi Abdulle Baasaale, who are the facilitators at this seminar, said that during the seminar, the referees will be given lessons on the new international basketball regulations.
“We are very grateful to the International Basketball Federation which provided us with these equipment,” Mr. Ali told participants who were holding up the new rule books.
The Somali Olympic committee and its national federations have been the nation’s flag carriers in the past 18 years of anarchy and lack of a functioning government in this war-ravaged country in the Horn of Africa.
Sport has in the past been used as an element to counter the hostility and clan-based hatred which had been raging amonts Somalis.
Glancing back at the past history in 1993, Somali sporting organizations succeeded in destroying the green line that once divided Mogadishu after games were held in different parts of Mogadishu and people who were segregated by warlords got the chance to cross from south to north of Mogadishu each controlled by a separate hostile warlord.
Source: APA, Oct 05, 2008