Slam dunk specialist Lorcan Murphy and fellow Irish international Hannah Thornton are urging the basketball community to continue curbing the spread of Covid-19, as they fronted the launch of Basketball Ireland’s ‘Slam Dunk Covid-19’ awareness campaign.
Speaking at the launch at the National Basketball Arena, Templeogue Basketball Club player Lorcan Murphy said: “I am really looking forward to the season starting, whenever that may be and if we all continue to take stock of the key messages launched today, it will help us get back sooner rather than later.”
DCU Mercy and Irish international Hannah Thornton added: “As a player, we can’t wait to get back onto the court and get back to the new normal. It is great that Basketball Ireland have launched this campaign and I would encourage everyone to get fully behind it and do all they can to help kill the virus.”
Watch the campaign video here:
Speaking at the ‘Slam Dunk Covid-19’ campaign launch, CEO of Basketball Ireland Bernard O’Byrne said: “As an organisation Basketball Ireland will continue to adhere to government and HSE guidelines, but ultimately this battle will be won or lost by individual attitudes - of players, coaches, parents, officials and volunteers. We have come along way as a community, but we must ensure we continue to drive forward and do all we can to fight against this virus. Please be an ambassador for this campaign and spread the word - Let’s Slam Dunk Covid-19!”
As part of the campaign Basketball Ireland has launched a competition to find the ‘Basketball Ireland Covid Hero’. This award is to recognise and reward inspirational, hardworking and dedicated members of the basketball community who have done their best in managing Covid-19 within their clubs during this time. If you know a coach, player, official, volunteer, parent or other who deserves to be celebrated as a ‘Basketball Ireland’s Covid Hero’, please submit 100 words to [email protected] outlining why the person deserves this award. When restrictions allow and basketball has returned to action, a team from the winning person’s club will be invited to the National Basketball Arena for a 2-hour coaching session with a top international coach, plus a few extras. Please include the following details in your submission:
- Your name and contact details
- Nominees name, contact and club details
- 100 words maximum why this person deserves the award
- Please include COVID HERO in the subject line of your email entry
The deadline for submissions is 5pm on Friday October 2nd, with the winner announced on Friday October 9th. Full competition details are on the Basketball Ireland website.
