Remarks by Ambassador Richard Erdman
3,400 Reebok Shoe Donation Ceremony
Stade Olympique du 5 Juillet, November 30, 2005

Minister Guiddoum, officials from the Algerian Basketball Federation, and members of the press,

I would like to thank Minister Guiddoum for his presence here today and for the support of the Algerian Basketball Federation in helping organize the visit to Algeria earlier this month of three distinguished American NBA and WNBA basketball players: Sam Perkins, Andrea Stinson, and Shameka Christon.  We hope that the young Algerians who participated in the clinics they conducted at Salle Hydra, the National Sports High School of Draria, and in Tipaza learned new skills to improve their basketball game.  And we hope they had a lot of fun doing so. 

At the end of those clinics, each of the 600 participants received a pair of basketball shoes donated by the American sporting goods company, Reebok.  As part of public-private partnership with the U.S. government, Reebok is donating a total donation of 4,000 pairs of shoes, and I am here today to present the remaining 3,400 pairs to the presidents, or to their representatives, of all of the 22 wilaya youth basketball leagues, all four regional youth basketball leagues, and the national youth teams of the Algerian Basketball Federation.

Sports bring people and countries together.  And these shoes are being offered in a spirit of friendship and shared love of the game of basketball. It is our hope that in a small way these shoes will inspire young Algerian players to run faster, jump higher, work harder, and pursue excellence -– both on the basketball court and in whatever field of endeavor they choose.