SVGBA using 3×3 national tour to fight crime

The St Vincent and the Grenadines Basketball Federation’s 3×3 national tour is being used as a method to help stem the tide of gun violence here.

To this end, the local basketball body has adopted the tag line, “Shoot hoops not guns.”{{more}}

The tour, which sees the 3×3 competition taken through several communities, is a good way for young people to channel their energies in sport, according to chair of the National Commission on Crime Prevention (NCCP) Nichola Evans.

Addressing last Sunday’s competition held at the Calliaqua hard court, Evans said, “Our young people must find another way to resolve conflicts … We must save our young people from themselves… We can resolve our conflicts by winning a trophy instead of shooting one another.”

Evans revealed that soon the NCCP will be rolling out a programme “Urban Crime Prevention,” which she said will add to the undertaking of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Basketball Federation, as well as the entrenched Pan Against Crime.

Apart from the NCCP, the 3×3 competition has the governmental support of the Youth Affairs Division within the Ministry of National Mobilization.

Other than the objectives sought by the St Vincent and the Grenadines Basketball Federation, the 3×3 discipline is seen as an ideal way to build the interest and make the sport more fun and family friendly.

Governing body for the sport , the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) decided that a shorter, quicker version of the game, similar to the popular street ball, is the best way to encourage more participation, which will build the sport overall.(RT)