Picture by Claire Behan
Filip Ibrahimi loves basketball a lot; he’ll even maintain an umbrella to play it below the rain.
The 16-year-old is the primary to reach to coaching classes and the final to go away. On the times when it’s not solely wet but in addition chilly, he performs basketball on his cellphone app or laptop.
“The half that I like is self-discipline. It’s one in every of my hobbies. I like additionally to play with my buddies. I can play with an umbrella.”
Filip Ibrahimi
Within the three years since Ibrahimi has taken up the game, it has reworked his life in a wide range of methods. The one youngster of a single mom, he has relished socializing with different children throughout the 4 coaching classes they’ve per week. His bodily prowess has additionally improved, and even his residence seems completely different—the lounge wall now doubles as a medal show case.
“He has a routine and he’s very strict about his routine. He has good communication along with his buddies on the workforce and he expresses his feelings,” Ferdinant Hila, the coach of Ibrahimi’s Durres workforce, stated of the participant. “He’s a really sociable particular person.”
In December Ibrahimi added two extra medals to his assortment. He scored 12 factors to assist Durres win gold on the nationwide championships and later powered them to a fifth place-finish on the Regional West Balkans Unified 3×3 Basketball Match, held in Tirana, Albania from 1 to three December.
Picture by Claire Behan
The regional match was the most important occasion that Particular Olympics Albania has ever hosted and featured groups from the host nation in addition to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and North Macedonia.
The group held their first regional exercise in 2022, which helped to carry future companions onboard. They now companion with the United Nations Inhabitants Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Improvement Programme (UNDP), amongst others.
“They noticed a companion who meant critical enterprise and so they invited us to cooperate. We’re making an attempt to create potentialities. We are attempting to construct bridges, making an attempt to attach folks and making an attempt to carry each one to see this gentle of the world.”
Roland Hysi, Nationwide Director of Particular Olympics Albania
The Municipality of Tirana has additionally change into a loyal supporter.
“A metropolis that works is a metropolis for all,” Anisa Ruseti, Deputy Mayor of Tirana, stated in regards to the purpose they backed the trigger. “In case you have taken care of probably the most weak, those that have extra challenges, then you definately’ve additionally finished a job for the remainder of the residents. That’s why Particular Olympics is such a [natural] factor, since you can’t simply construct for some folks, it needs to be for everybody.”
Whereas Hysi praised the assist and the way far Particular Olympics Albania has come, he additionally emphasised that extra must be finished.
The principle situation, he stated, is that the group has all the time solely operated through initiatives. These may be as short-term as two months, which makes assist for athletes akin to Ibrahimi much less secure.
That might quickly change, nevertheless, as there’s a promise from the nation’s Prime Minister and the Minister of Training, Sports activities and Youth that Particular Olympics Albania will begin to obtain annual grants. Hysi takes it as a name to dream even larger.
“It could be our dream come true if we come to a sure level that we host even larger occasions in Albania concerning inclusion,” Hysi stated. “I do know that you simply’ve bought to be loopy to alter the world so I’d say World Video games and work in direction of it.
“We predict it’s crucial that by way of sports activities we carry change additionally in schooling and well being so we’re prepared and likewise we hope that the federal government, central and native, may have the need to hear and implement our incredible actions.”
Picture by Claire Behan
For his half, Hysi is doing all the things to introduce extra folks to Particular Olympics.
Along with his function as nationwide director, he’s a profitable hip hop artist and makes use of his public picture to draw consideration to the trigger, be that by way of speeches or just carrying shirts with clearly seen Particular Olympics Albania logos on them.
“I put on the brand even on the nationwide pageant of music in Albania, so sure, I attempt to discuss the group in every single place I get the possibility,” Hysi stated. “I personally think about it an obligation that I ought to unfold the phrase to each particular person in Albania. I want to attain each one in every of them in a method or one other to say that it is crucial so that you can know what Particular Olympics is and what Particular Olympics does.”
It helps, in fact, that Hysi additionally has a robust workforce by his facet.
Having labored for numerous firms for greater than 15 years, Hysi remarked that he has by no means seen the sort of ardour that he sees among the many Particular Olympics Albania workforce.
“It takes the need to maneuver mountains and so they’re shifting mountains,” he stated. “So, I’d say Particular Olympics Albania, it’s the rose that grows from the plant and it’s rising and it’s blossoming. It’s difficult terrain, however we’re blossoming.”
It’s simple to see why Hysi and his workforce are so tenacious about their work after observing the grins of the athletes they’re combating for.
Ibrahimi was overjoyed when his workforce received the nationwide championships. He took the medal in his palms and checked out it in surprise. On the way in which residence to his mom, he chanted the workforce cheer on the bus collectively along with his buddies.
“She could be very grateful, mommy, for basketball” Ibrahimi stated. “We communicate lots about it once we are at residence collectively.”
