The Costa Rica Federation for Paralympic Sport and Costa Rica’s National Olympic Committee have been working with the Women and Sports Commission, with the support of INAMU (National Women’s Institute) in the aim to provide coaches with the tools that can enhance the performance of athletes with physical disabilities.
Currently, Costa Rica has a male wheelchair basketball national team and there is a desire from the Women and Sports Commission of Costa Rica to develop this discipline for females throughout the country and to form a women’s national team.
The first step in this mission is to hold a practical course to educate instructors in the sport of wheelchair basketball. The course is taking place between the 19th-22nd September 2018 and being led by Canadian wheelchair basketball coaches, Annie Goodchild and Katie Miyazaki, in the Gymnasium of the Teresian School San Enrique de Osso.
Thirty-five national coaches will take part in the training, which will include information on the rules of the game, history of wheelchair basketball and also trying out the sport themselves.
Canadian tutor Annie Goodchild said, “I am very happy to be in Costa Rica. Both Katie (instructor) and I hope to bring the tools for you to put into practice and with the desire to make a good structure for the country.”
One of the participants on the course was Wesley Brenes, who due to an accident now uses a wheelchair as his means of transportation, stated, “This is a great opportunity to learn and motivate our citizens that today even if you have a disability you can still practice a sport.”
PHOTO: Provided by Costa Rica’s National Olympic Committee – Canadian instructors Annie Goodchild (left) and Katie Miyazaki (red shirts) host the training.
For more information please visit Costa Rica’s National Olympic Committee website
