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NCAA partners with Department of State to empower girls and coaches from around the world

NCAA.org

A group of 18 teenage girls and six women’s coaches from around the world will learn about women’s sports in the United States as part of the Empowering Women and Girls through Sports Initiative.

The delegation—which includes participants from Kazakhstan, Nicaragua, Thailand, Tunisia, Ukraine, and Zimbabwe—will visit Washington, D.C. and the Women’s Final Four in Denver, CO. They will participate in several teambuilding activities, basketball clinics, and sessions on sports psychology and nutrition. The Initiative —a partnership between the NCAA, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ (ECA) SportsUnited division, USA Basketball and the WNBA –  runs from March 24 to April 5.

While in Colorado, the 24 women will take part in community initiatives and events related to the women’s championship. They will also have the opportunity to attend the games.

“The NCAA is proud of our efforts to support women’s sports in the United States and around the world,” said Delise O’Meally, the  NCAA Director of Governance and International Affairs. “We’re excited to learn about the diverse experiences of these women while sharing our rich heritage of female athlete achievement.”

During their time in the U.S. the group will train with female basketball coaches and student-athletes; learn about Title IX and its challenges from the White House Project and NCAA representatives; play basketball with athletes with disabilities; and travel to Colorado Springs to see the Olympic Training Center.