Written by Justine Baynes, CEO of British Wheelchair Basketball
What a fantastic weekend we had at our Kukri National Junior Championships! I was delighted to see so many young players competing and enjoying themselves. I was particularly struck by the energy in the room throughout the weekend, it really was an exciting competition. I would also like to thank all of the volunteers who supported us – we couldn’t run any of our events and competitions without you, so thank you to everyone who gives up their time for our sport.
I would like to thank everyone who took the time to take part in our consultation about the development of the junior programme. We were thrilled by the number of people who were willing to contribute and the information that you gave us. Our researchers said that they were taken aback by the passion and love for the sport that everyone showed in their conversations. I know that there were a few people who did not manage to book a slot over the weekend, but please do not worry. We will be sending out an online questionnaire at the end of this month so please do use this opportunity to give us your thoughts.
Once we have completed the consultation process, we will share the recommendations with you as well as an implementation programme timetable – its important to see this as a long term investment and not simply a few quick fix changes!
As I write this, the GB Men’s and GB Women’s teams are gathering in Loughborough ahead of their departure for the European Championships in Rotterdam. This is also our Paris qualifying event, so there is a lot riding on the next two weeks! The IWBF European Championships this year are part of a huge Para multi-sport event, so it will be interesting to see how that is delivered and whether it is a sustainable event model. Please join me in wishing our teams the very best of luck and follow our social channels to support the teams!
Support the GB Men and GB Women at the European Championships – head to our Fanzone to find out more: https://britishwheelchairbasketball.co.uk/fan-zone/iwbf-european-championships-2023/
