Nicki Collen, coach, Baylor Bears women’s basketball team, was addressing the media regarding the team’s preparation for the 2022-23 season, which is about to begin on November 7. Collen also spent a few minutes in talking about Brittney Griner, wherein she discussed the star’s nine-year sentence received from Russian authorities on charges of possessing drugs.

An emotional Collen appealed that Griner was only human, and there was no denying that she made a mistake. She claimed that it is a human rights issue and getting stuck in a foreign land for 10 years, whatever the offense, is a really long time. She saw Griner as a mother, a spouse, a sister, a daughter, and as an incredible ambassador of basketball. She pleaded that no stone should be left unturned to bring the basketball star back home.

Yemen's women basketball players overcome war and disability as they hit the court

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Overcoming war and disability

In Yemen's capital Sanaa, women in long-sleeved athletics shirts raced down a basketball court in wheelchairs, dribbling and passing as a small crowd cheered them on.

Nothing can stop us

The Arab world's poorest country is devastated by conflict, the novel coronavirus and a humanitarian crisis that the United Nations has called the world's worst. But all that didn't stop a local wheelchair basketball championship going ahead in Sanaa this month.

All-women team

Five all-women teams were part of the competition, only the second of its kind, including Al-Erada -- Arabic for "The Will", and Al-Mustaqbal, or "The Future". The female players, some wearing face coverings as well as their headscarves, jostled and shot baskets from sports wheelchairs painted red and light-green at the indoor court.

Wheelchair basketball championship in Yemen

"Disability is a gift, not an obstacle," one of the players told, wearing her team's striped orange vest. "What we want is inclusion and support, and we can be involved in any field," she said. "We need special wheelchairs equipped for playing and, most importantly, moral support."

Boosting moral support

A coach of multiple teams, Abdo Mohammed Zayed, said Yemen's lack of clubs and facilities for players with disabilities presented another challenge. The goal of the tournament, he said, was to "offer social and moral support to those with disabilities, and allow them to showcase their capabilities and creativity."

Collen’s reaction was quite different from the former Baylor coach Kim Mulkey, who denied to comment on Griner’s predicament despite having coached her for all four collegiate seasons.

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Baylor Bears women’s basketball coach Nicki Collen opens up about Brittney Griner. See what she said

Baylor Bears star basketball player Brittney Griner was sentenced to 9-year-jail in Russia last month. While former coach Kim Mulkey has declined to comment on the issue, current coach Nicki Collen spoke in support of the basketball legend.

Yemen's women basketball players overcome war and disability as they hit the court

Overcoming war and disability

Nothing can stop us

All-women team

Wheelchair basketball championship in Yemen

Boosting moral support

FAQ's

Read More News on

Baylor Bears women’s basketball coach Nicki Collen opens up about Brittney Griner. See what she said

Baylor Bears star basketball player Brittney Griner was sentenced to 9-year-jail in Russia last month. While former coach Kim Mulkey has declined to comment on the issue, current coach Nicki Collen spoke in support of the basketball legend.

Yemen's women basketball players overcome war and disability as they hit the court

​Overcoming war and disability

​Nothing can stop us

​All-women team

Wheelchair basketball championship in Yemen

​Boosting moral support

FAQ's

Read More News on

Overcoming war and disability

Nothing can stop us

All-women team

Boosting moral support