An initiative aimed at empowering young girls through basketball, was presented on Saturday by the French Ambassador in Cyprus, in collaboration with the non-profit organisation United Sports Cyprus (USC), at a press conference in the outdoor basketball court of the Ledra Palace Hotel in the Nicosia buffer zone.
Addressing the event, French Ambassador to Cyprus, Clélia Chevrier Kolacko stressed the significance of the initiative as a tool to foster dialogue and build trust and friendship between the different communities in Cyprus.
Stephanie Nicholas, the founder and director of United Sports Cyprus who opened the conference, described the programme as more than just a sports initiative.
“This programme is about bridging social divides, fostering leadership skills, and inspiring a lifelong love for sports among girls aged 5 to 8 from all communities in Cyprus,” she said.
Ambassador Kolacko expressed the support of French Embassy to the initiative and explained that since last September, young girls from all communities in Cyprus were offered basketball training sessions on a weekly basis.
“This initiative is an example of how sport can act as a bridge between people from different backgrounds and provide opportunities to overcome barriers,” she said.
She praised Stephanie Nicholas for her vision and dedication, noting that the project was immediately embraced by the French Embassy as part of its efforts to promote the values of the Olympic Games ahead of Paris 2024.
“Indeed, this programme goes beyond the basketball courts, building on a common passion, basketball in this case. This initiative leverages the power of sport and creates space to foster dialogue between Greek speaking and Turkish speaking young people in Cyprus playing as a bicommunal team,” she added.
Entitled “Youth Empowerment Through Basketball”, the initiative seeks to unite Greek-speaking and Turkish-speaking communities by encouraging young girls to play together as part of bi-communal teams.
Ambassador Kolacko stressed that, the French Embassy was proud to support this project that aligns with France’s efforts to advocate for the role of sports in sustainable development by having a positive impact on education, physical and mental health, equality and inclusion.
“Sports is a unique and powerful tool to strengthen social bonds and rally people and through its values and universal nature, sport can provide an alternative pathway when standard approaches fall short,” she noted.
She also said that these young girls were the future of Cyprus and expressed the hope that the experience would help them keeping their mind open to dialogue and sharing.
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Source: CNA
