Bringing youth together through sports

The Gërmia/Grmija Park in Prishtinë/Priština came alive with the sights and sounds of dribbling, slam dunks and alley-oops for ten days in July as it hosted more than 100 youths from Kosovo’s different communities for a basketball tournament.

Held successfully for the second year in a row, the tournament was organized by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo not only to train budding basketballers, but also to bring together young people from different communities to interact, socialize and get to know one another through sports, fun and some healthy competition.

Professional coach Miloš Obrenović, who is widely acknowledged as among the top five youth basketball coaches in Europe, was among those training the youngsters. “The kids were so happy and they had a great time during the tournament. I have to say it was one of the best tournaments I’ve been to and I hope it will continue to develop from year to year.”

Bekim Maxhuni, a former professional basketball player who now works at the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, helped coach the kids together with professional coaches Miloš Obrenović, Bojan Popović, Egzon Uka, Roni Ahmatović, Driton Rraci and Bojan Perović. Maxhuni later said this was a very exciting experience since most of the children met peers from another community for the first time.

During the tournament, girl and boy members of junior basketball clubs in Prishtinë/Priština, Gjakovë/Đakovica, Prizren, and Štrpce/Shtërpcë, practiced their passing and hooping techniques under the supervision of accredited trainers from Prishtinë/Priština and Belgrade.

Christopher Tuetsch, the OSCE Mission in Kosovo Director of Democratization Department, welcomes young basketball players from all over Kosovo to the tournament. Later he said: “When they first arrived, they were a bit reserved. But as they practiced and spent time together, they got closer. It was amazing to see them work hard and play together in ethnically mixed teams in the semi-final and final games. That was ultimately our goal.”

The young players were divided into two groups: the first comprised of 14-16 year olds, and the second of 12-13 year olds. Here, basketballers from the younger group practice dribbling and their passing, cutting and stealing manoeuvres.

Besides basketball, the tournament also offered youngsters other daily activities such as interactive workshops promoting dialogue, tolerance, confidence and mutual understanding. A trainer from the Pl4y International NGO showed how young participants can increase their self-confidence and acceptance of others through sports.

Coach Bojan Popović proudly supervises a young basketballer from BC Shtërpcë/Štrpce while he shows off his skills by going for the shoot with style.

Members of ethnically-mixed Dream Team and the New Team compete in the final game of the basketball tournament, leaving language and ethnic barriers behind to play for a common aim and win the competition.

Dream Team members share their joy of victory with their coaches.