Breakthru Community client receiving his Foundation grant, with his mother and Breakthru Parramatta Employment Support Worker
A Breakthru Parramatta client and talented basketballer, was able to represent NSW in the 2025 Ivor Burge Basketball Championships, 29 January–2 February, thanks to the generosity of Royal Rehab Foundation donors.
The Ivor Burge Championship is the Australian basketball championships for athletes with an intellectual disability. The illustrious Ivor Burge MBE played a major role in introducing and establishing basketball in Australia, so to participate in this national annual competition is no small feat.
A Breakthru Parramatta Employment Support Worker recognised her client's sporting ability and the positive impact competing for the Ivor Burge Cup would have on him. She therefore applied to the Royal Rehab Foundation for funding on behalf of her client. To her, her client, and his mother's delight, she was successful in her funding application, which covered payment of the registration, uniform, travel to and from Ballarat, and other expenses in relation to him participating in this prestigious sporting event.
Thanks in part to this client, the NSW team won their first match on Wednesday 29 January 2025 against Queensland, 107-46! Our client enjoyed plenty of court time and scored seven points, including a three pointer!
This skilful sportsman has been playing basketball since the age of 12. He represented his school up until Year 10 and then started playing for his local team. Not only does he play a mean game of basketball but he is also a professional coach of young basketball players. In addition to being selected for the fourth time to represent NSW on the Ivor Burge Men's Team, this client trains weekly for the Special Olympics. Once he finishes competing for the 2025 Ivor Burge Cup, his next dream to fulfil is to be selected for the Australian 2027 Special Olympics team, who will compete in Chile. Let's hope he ends up being one of more than 6,000 Special Olympics athletes from over 170 nations to compete in 22 Olympic-type sports at Santiago’s state-of-the-art competition venues. This will be the first-ever Special Olympics World Games held in the Latin American region.
