Embassy of the United States Baghdad, Iraq

Ten Iraqi youth and two chaperones visited Washington for ten days to sharpen their basketball skills while learning about the importance of teamwork, leadership, and respect for diversity. The program was organized by the Embassy’s Cultural Affairs Office and ECA’s SportsUnited Office. The young people were recruited from throughout Iraq and were selected after a series of interviews devoted to assessing their interest in basketball as well as their willingness to share their experiences upon their return to Iraq.

While in Washington, their activities included numerous basketball-specific drills supervised by experienced coaches, including former NBA and WNBA players. They also toured Washington, attended an NBA Draft party at Washington’s Verizon Center, saw a women’s American football game and the WNBA’s Washington Mystics, as well as meeting and playing with a local wheelchair basketball team.

Certainly, it was a memorable experience for these young Iraqis.