The Basketball Africa League (BAL) is set to host a series of youth development and social impact events alongside the much-anticipated 2024 BAL Playoffs and Finals, slated for May 24 through June 1, in Kigali.
The events are organized in collaboration with the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), Imbuto Foundation, Special Olympics, Shooting Touch, and RwandAir. They include the “BAL Advance” Careers in Sports Workshop, bringing together BAL players, staff, coaches, and “BAL Future Pros” for career development discussions and networking opportunities. Launched in 2024, BAL Future Pros supports young professionals across Africa in pursuing careers within the sports ecosystem.
On Saturday, May 25, BAL, in partnership with the Imbuto Foundation, will celebrate Africa Day with Umuganda community service at Kimironko Community Court, unveiled in 2023. Activities will include beautifying the space and planting trees. Umuganda, held on the last Saturday of each month, is a day dedicated to community service supporting public works and environmental protection.
On Sunday, May 26, BAL and Special Olympics will host a unified basketball game at BK Arena, featuring Special Olympics ambassadors and athletes. This event aims to support people with intellectual disabilities, helping them discover new strengths and skills.
From May 28 through June 1, BAL will host its first-ever Pan-African U-23 BAL4HER women’s camp, empowering and developing talented young female athletes. The five-day camp will include on-court development, life-skills programming, career development workshops, and networking sessions. As part of BAL4HER day on May 29, the league will bring together 100 young female professionals for a basketball clinic, VIP game-day experience, and workshop focused on careers in the sports industry.
On May 31, BAL will collaborate with Shooting Touch to host a basketball event featuring 200 young women from the Bugesera community and U-23 BAL4HER campers. The campers will serve as coaches and support a reproductive health and rights workshop during the event.
