Do you know about inclusive basketball? “It’s an adapted basketball called “baskin”, where two baskets are added on the sides of the court, and you can play with both disabled and able-bodied individuals,” explains Yann Doyelle, a trainer at Novosports.
Since the start of the school year, baskin sessions have been offered at the Mac Donald gymnasium in the 19th arrondissement. “The gymnasium is accessible by an elevator, which was an important criterion for accessibility for all,” says Yann Doyelle.
Born in Italy in 2003, this new type of basketball was first developed in Île-de-France, in Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine), by an association created in 2020 by Jérôme Rousseau (in the above photo), who himself has a disability.
With a desire to combine sharing and sports performance through basketball, as well as adapted volleyball. “When I was a child, my family used to watch me play wheelchair football, but I didn’t have the opportunity to play a sport with them,” he says.
Impacted by the lack of exterior sports facilities, he founded Novosports and trained as a coach in inclusive volleyball and baskin, a sport he also plays as a player. “Classic wheelchair basketball is reserved for those who move in a manual wheelchair, which is not the case for baskin,” explains Jérôme.
Specific rules have been created for baskin to include different types of disabilities as well as able-bodied players. For example, specific roles from 1 to 5 have been defined on the court, and the baskets have different heights (3.05m, 2.2m, and 1.1m).
Open to men and women, able-bodied individuals, and individuals with physical, mental, or sensory disabilities, this basketball is inclusive and adapts to each person’s abilities. Players can play standing or in a wheelchair. “There is emotion in baskin, as every move can be spectacular. A player can change the outcome of a game, regardless of their disability!” Jérôme enthuses.
If you’re tempted by the baskin experience, come every Friday from 5:30 pm to 7 pm at the Mac Donald gymnasium! The annual membership to the association is 80 euros.
