CLOSE to 50 participants are expected to take part in the Philippine Accessible Disability Services, Inc. (PADS) Wheelchair Basketball which will tip-off today at the Mandaue City Cultural and Sports Complex.
This two-day PADS event will start with a clinic today to be handled by the former head coach of the Thailand national basketball team, Michael “Mitsch” Shreiner. This will be followed by an exhibition game tomorrow.
“Our aim is to revive wheelchair basketball here in Cebu,” PADS executive officer John Paul “JP” Maunes told Cebu Daily News. “We will advance wheelchair basketball as a sport and we’ll spread awareness about it and tell them what it is all about.”
Today’s clinic will tackle basic demos for officials and coaches while the players will be taught about the rules, officiating and classification. They will also perform drills.
Maunes said that PADS have big plans for wheelchair basketball in the future as they are also eyeing to organize an inter-city tournament soon which they could use as a selection in forming a team from Cebu.
“We might also be able to make a selection to represent Team Cebu in wheelchair basketball soon in the upcoming Philippine Wheelchair Basketball League,” Maunes said.
According to Maunes, he also wants to develop a new breed of wheelchair ballers, especially wounded soldiers, who may also get the chance to tryout for the Philippine National Wheelchair Team.
Today’s clinic is open to other differently-abled persons and not just wheelchair ballers.