Cultural exchange spirals into international tournament
Jul 26, 2016
17 teams. 4 days. 1 international Indigenous basketball tournament.
Little did host team Skidegate Saints of Haida Gwaii know that their venture to New Zealand last year to play the Maori National Team would spiral into a worldwide event. The successful competition and cultural exchange between the two teams enabled the Maori National Team to reciprocate and travel to British Columbia in the following year.
From there, plans for a larger tournament featuring other Indigenous teams began to form. Eventually, invites to teams around the world were sent out confirmations started rolling in. From there, the rest is history.
In 16 days, Burnaby will play host to the HaiCo World Indigenous Basketball Challenge. This unique and culturally significant basketball tournament will feature renowned Indigenous basketball teams from around the world, including the national teams of Bermuda, Tonga, Zambia, South Sudan and the Maori National Team. Additionally, clubs across Canada and the United States will be partipating in this inaugural event. viaSport Media is excited to live-stream this event and capture phenomenal court skills in addition to unique cultural aspects that each team will bring.
Watch the court action LIVE or on demand
