Ramu R By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: About 150 schools across Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Pathanamthitta participated in ‘Train the trainers’ program organised by National Basketball Association (NBA) in association with Reliance Foundation Junior NBA programme, an initiative that uses basketball to positively impact the lives of young Indian basketball players, at the Jimmy George Indoor Stadium on Friday. Around 200 physical education teachers from the city received training from two international basketball operations staff of NBA. It has announced that it will be engaging with more than 1.5 million boys and girls and 2,700 physical education instructors and coaches in 2020 . Two training sessions were lead by Marc Pulles, director, NBA India, and Bryan Garmoth, manager, NBA. “We had a great number of coaches for our programme. We are happy to provide the PT teachers the tools to implement it in their schools,” said Marc. He also said that the programme will be organised in Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Kottayam this year. “A four-to-eight-week programme will include a skill challenge programme and competition. Any player who has been part of the Junior NBA programme can participate in the skill games,” he said. The programme, which remains free for participants, will also include a ‘Train the Trainer’ initiative for local coaches, in-school basketball clinics, elite training camps and 5-on-5 competitions in both U12 and U14 Categories. The participating schools will also be provided with essential equipment including a coaching guide with curriculum for in-school and after-school programmes, basketballs and cones. Also, each participating city will host three youth-oriented skill tournaments featuring mini hoops for kids aged 6 to 10 starting at Mary Mount School, Kottayam, on January 27, St Michaels HSS, Kozhikode, on January 31 and at Jimmy George Indoor Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram, on February 4. ‘Train the trainers’ will now move on to the Regional Sports Centre in Kochi on January 21 and later to VKN Indoor Stadium, Kozhikode on January 22.

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