adminThey were granted visas by the embassy in Harare through the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA).
The Sports United Division, in partnership with the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA), announced a basketball exchange programme that will see three players and a coach travel there.
Mutsa Chiromo of Arundel Girls High School in Harare, Queen Elizabeth’s Francisca Sekete and Rukudzo Matsekwa of Bulawayo’s Dominican Convent will be accompanied by Giants coach Belia Zibowa.
According to the embassy in Harare, the tour is part of the new Empowering Women and Girls through Sports Initiative.
The girls will be part of a group of 18 teenage girls and six female coaches from six different countries which include Kazakhstan, Nicaragua, Thailand, Tunisia and Ukraine.
While in the US the basketballers will visit Washington DC, Denver and Colorado.
“Sports diplomacy builds on Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s vision of smart power, embracing the full range of diplomatic tools — in this case, basketball — to bring individuals together to foster greater understanding,” said Michael Brooke, public diplomacy officer at the US Embassy.
The organisers want the leaders of women’s sport, to introduce Americans to different cultures.
“We hope the visit will inspire more women and girls to become involved in sports and experience the benefits of participation, improved health, greater self-esteem, and greater academic success,” said the embassy.
For the first four days of the programme, the 24 participants will share their own experiences and learn about women’s sport in the US through a combination of team-building activities, basketball clinics, and sessions on sports psychology and nutrition.
They will tour the White House before travelling to Denver and Colorado to take part in community initiatives and events related to the NCAA Women’s final four championship. During this high-profile week of games, the Empowering Women and Girls through Sports visitors will train with female basketball coaches and student-athletes, learn about Title IX and its challenges from the White House Project, play basketball with athletes with disabilities and travel to Colorado Springs to see the Olympic Training Centre.
The programme concludes with their attendance at the Women’s Final Four Championship Game at the Pepsi Centre.
Sports United is the sports exchange programme of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the US Department of State. Athletes and coaches from a range of sports are chosen to conduct clinics, visit schools, and engage with youths from overseas on the importance of education, positive health practices, and respect for diversity.
Online Reporter