Wheelchair basketball in Belgium is a crying shame…

By Servaas Kamerling

It was the British poet Thomas Gray that said, ‘Youth smiles without any reason. It is one of its chiefest charms.’

Youth smiles are not evident during youth trainings at Leuven Bears wheelchair basketball. Instead grimaces and gritted teeth belie the determination and the will to perform. Whether the athlete is 10, 14 or 18 years of age, whether they are talented and experienced or limited and new, for one thing is certain, and it is without exception, all come with enthusiasm and wearing smiles on their faces before and after.

While some come for fun, exercise and to enjoy the camaraderie, others are determined to become the very best, training day in and day out to maximise their potential. “Did you see the Belgian Cats?” and “What about the Belgian 3×3 in Tokyo? Did you know they reached the semi-finals!” Even hopeful ambitions come to the fore which quite literally sinks my heart: “I would love to represent my country at the Paralympics…!” and “Are there trials for the National team?”

As teenage years near, players become more independent and self-conscious and reality starts to set in: Belgium does not even have a national team. Talented youth should be offered the opportunity to represent national interests and without it, dreams and ambitions fade. Females and youth players often seek other sports, more individual and better funded. The true die-hards will always remain; their love of the game trumping a potentially more favourable path to glory. The very best will seek more challenging pastures overseas, playing (semi)professional in Germany, France, Italy, Spain or Turkey.

There is the occasional wave of the national flag: when one enthusiast from Flanders or the Walloon region organises sponsorship and a tournament (such as European Championships Division B in Charleroi in 2018). The other region condones the effort, glad they need not be involved. But the lack of structure and improper funding leads to poor and favourited player selection, tactical confusion and ultimately, a disappointing outcome. And the vicious circle of avoidance perpetuates.

The only period of stability I can recall was during the early years of my career, when Belgium became 9th in the Paralympics of Seoul in 1988 and when Bruges organised the World Championships in 1990. This was the era of the Belgian ‘greats’: Andre Allemeersch, Juan Bernal, Michel Cant, Marc de Vos, Bernard Engelbrecht, Marc Jonniaux, Patrick Mees, Antonio Serrao, Jean-Marie van Hulle and Luc van Landeghem. Several still play today!

But the above period was when I lived in the Netherlands and quite frankly, I cared little for the Belgium team. The Dutch National wheelchair basketball team had our own greats, and successful ones at that. During my 14-year tenure as a player, we won Paralympic gold and silver amongst many other prizes.

In the early years of my career, I experienced the move of wheelchair basketball away from the NeBAS (Nederlands Bond voor Aangepast Sporten – Dutch Association for disabled sports) to the NBB (Nederlands Basketball Bond – Dutch Basketball Association). This was not without its fears and challenges, with the NeBAS losing a prize activity and the NBB adopting an orphan. The change proved to be for the better, with a much stronger understanding of the game and a greater sharing of similar resources.

I did start to care for Belgian wheelchair basketball when a business choice in 1999 dictated I move to Belgium. Having hung up my international team wheels, I remained active in the sport at club-level, joining several Belgian greats at Atomics Brussels, whilst competing against others. Over the last decades, I have witnessed the rise of new generations, ever hopeful for a sustainable basketball future, but again, becoming disappointed with the lack of political will.

So how can this void be filled?

For a start, there has to be a structure and a willingness to support and engage. In Belgium, with its many factions, divisions and interests, this is no easy task. And yet, the Red Lions in Hockey and the Cats in women’s basketball show that where there is a will, there is a way. Let there be no mistake, there is talent in this country, but it requires steering and funding in a succinct manner to be successful.

Sports is a matter of the regions, so it is imperative there be a platform to govern above and across. This is the case with regular (able-bodied) basketball under the auspicion of Basketball Belgium (www.basketballbelgium.be), for which the 8-person committee consists of two neutral members and three representatives from both Basket Vlaanderen and AWBB (Association Wallonie-Bruxelles de Basketball).

Such a platform would clearly benefit wheelchair basketball in this country too, but there is the added challenge of wheelchair basketball belonging to the disability sports federations. For Flanders, this is Parantee-Psylos who partner with Basket Vlaanderen for calendar management and score recording. This partnership construction leads to strange situations such as the Parantee-Psylos organisation of PapaChamps international sports event in Blankenberge, for which a quality wheelchair basketball tournament is without a Belgian National Team. This omission is puzzling and ultimately arbitrary.

Belgium is one of only two European countries (under the IWBF – International Wheelchair Basketball Federation) who do NOT have basketball inclusion at a national level. And yet, there are great (mutual) advantages of integrating wheelchair basketball under a larger basketball umbrella, as has been proven by the Dutch NBB but can also be witnessed at Leuven Bears. Some 15 years to date, Leuven Bears is an example to all of Belgium, with Limburg United, BC Oostende, Orly Hasselt and Zedelgem Lions following suit. A special mention should be given here to Freddy Hernou for his dedication to this cause, and who has always considered Leuven Bears on wheels (LBOW) to be ‘inspirational’.

So which concrete steps could be taken?

Well, for a start, Basketball Belgium, should have the ambition to own national wheelchair basketball too, just like the Belgian Cats, Lions and youth. This topic can be added to the very next committee meeting with an action that Basket Vlaanderen and AWBB both support the initiative. Each need to gain backing from members and agree to work towards a structure. Advised would be a representative member from each, affiliated with wheelchair basketball and who can engage with the G-Sports bodies, Parantee-Psylos and Ligue Handisport Francophone (LHF). Just like the NeBAS in the Netherlands, both handicapped organisations need to continue transferring responsibilities to the respective regional basketball bodies. This will be no easy feat, as each body will not wish to relinquish current political representation and funding, but by partnering, a start has been made. They need to continue this, in recognition of a better home and a better future.

Once a structure is established, clear and transparent regulations and guidelines should be created, perhaps as an addendum to that of Basketball Belgium, to ensure all involved parties, and all basketball clubs can sign off on the agreement in terms of membership, funding and support. Only then, will there be a lasting future for national wheelchair basketball in this country.

It was the activist and wife of Dr Martin Luther King, Coretta Scott King who said; “The failure to invest in youth reflects a lack of compassion and a colossal failure of common sense.” This is absolutely the case for wheelchair basketball in Belgium. Though many have given up during their life-times, others with fresh vigour are ready to take the baton. When I see the determination and dedication of the youth players at Leuven Bears, and I listen to their dreams, then I know they deserve more. I may be a Dutchman looking in, but I also consider myself a Belgian looking out.

A good national team structure is long overdue, it is time to make this happen.