From October 1 to October 15, 2022, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) Sports Diplomacy Division hosted fourteen basketball officials and administrators from Mexico in New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Atlanta for a Sports Visitor Program focused professional development and women’s empowerment.
The female officials were chosen from a group of 70+ female referees who participated in a U.S. Embassy Mexico City funded virtual referee training course held in conjunction with the Mexican Professional Men’s Basketball League (LNBP). The LNBP designed the course to pave the way for more women to become professional basketball referees in Mexico.
While in New Jersey, the delegation participated in an NBA-led two-day workshop that included sessions on technical officiating skills, communication, and conflict resolution. The NBA also allowed the group to join a pre-game referee meeting (which included one of the leagues six female referees) before an official pre-season game between the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers. Finally, the NBA hosted the delegation at the Reply Center to observe how the game is monitored and called behind the scenes.
Rounding out their time in New Jersey, the delegation put their skills into practice through officiating a tournament in conjunction with the New York-based organization Ladies Who Hoop, which works to build community and empowerment for women through basketball. Before heading to Philadelphia, the delegation stopped at the Basketball Hall of Fame to learn more about the history of the game.
In Philadelphia and Atlanta, the group continued building their officiating skills through workshops with Court Club Elite (lead by former NBA referee Ed Rush) and strengthening their mental and emotional game with Dr. Kensa Gunter and Train the Mind, among other organizations and U.S. counterparts.
Funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and implemented by FHI 360, the Sports Visitor Program brings non-elite youth athletes, coaches, and administrators to the United States for a fast-paced short-term sports cultural exchange with American peers and sports practitioners.
To learn more about U.S. Department of State sports diplomacy, follow on Facebook (@SportsDiplomacyDivision) and Twitter (@SportsDiplomacy).
