PRT Kirkuk
Basketball Speaks Volumes in Kirkuk
(PRT hosts exhibition game)
By 1LT Jack Gaines
Special Correspondent
Kirkuk, Iraq – While a picture can sometimes speak loader than words sports can also speak volumes by cementing people of different cultures and languages together on the playing field.
American soldiers and staff from the Kirkuk Provincial Reconstruction Team demonstrated that point and the strides the Province has made over the past year towards a “return to normalcy” by recently playing an outdoor, public, exhibition game of basketball against a local team.
The game itself was only part of the event. Soldiers and civilians also spent time talking to Iraqi youth about their interest in sports, their personal lives, and the need for constructive activities for youth, such as athletics, arts, and music.
The Iraqi team was made up of members from all three of Kirkuk’s major ethnic groups: Kurd, Turkoman, and Arab. Basketball has now passed volleyball to become the second most popular sport in Kirkuk, after soccer.
The event generated considerable excitement for local citizens and the press. In attendance were the Head of the Kirkuk Olympic Committee, the Head of the Basketball Union, and the Chief of Sports Clubs in Kirkuk.
Olympic Chairman Harbi Khalid Tahir told the PRT, “We would love to cooperate more with the Americans and sponsor youth tournaments in several sports.”
Sri Kulkarni, Chief of Public Diplomacy for the PRT said, “Our goal is to promote outreach to average Iraqis and activities that positively influence youth. Sports are a great way for children of all ethnicities and religions to come together
The children in the audience were especially excited as it gave them a chance to see soldiers and other Americans up close. Some of the soldiers provided security while others played. While the children were timid at first, as the soldiers smiled and spoke to them, they began to warm up and enjoy the event.
Some of the ones who spoke English better even translated for the others, asking where the soldiers grew up, and questions about basketball. “This was a chance for ordinary kids to see American soldiers in a different light, with balls and hoops, instead of weapons and humvees. A year and a half ago, this would have never been possible,” said Sgt James Durago, a soldier in the PRT who played in the game. “The best part was spending time with smiling kids, who weren’t thinking about a war. All they wanted to do was play ball.”
The event ended with the presentation of a trophy and gifts to the winning Iraqi team, and the promise of more joint activities in the future.