Jens Due Olsen
THE GAME HAS BECOME SYNERGISTIC WITH MY PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL LIFE
Basketball has always been my passion, initially as a player and later also as a coach. The game has become synergistic with my personal and professional life, as the positive experiences on the court activate the same reward centres in the brain that make you excel in other parts of life.
Photo: Oliver Knauer @oliverknauer
www.oliverknauer.com
“I ask that the balls aren’t locked away after training. A ball is never wasted - even if someone runs off with it, it will still serve its positive purpose.”
Jens Due Olsen
Businessman and former elite basketball player
I REALISED THAT BASKETBALL MAKES A GREAT MEDIUM FOR IMPROVING CHILDREN’S LIVES
The combination of team and individual dynamics, of excellence at the individual level and beyond, meritocracy – how your efforts help you improve – and how team sports create inclusion within the team as well as in the community. The positive synergy between exercise and learning are all elements of this.
We started the Children’s Basketball Foundation to help children exercise, to create connection between individuals, to build bridges between school and after-school activities, to feed clubs in local communities with new members and to start new clubs when needed. We also create programs for children with special needs – in the communities where the children live, which helps us to get the parents involved too.
IN A WORLD WHERE INCLUSION MATTERS
I have come to understand and appreciate how the deep passion derived from many years of playing basketball at elite level helps us design a program that creates a positive impact in children’s lives. The fact that we’re also producing more future basketball players is a side effect that makes me smile just a little bit more…
