Shooting for gold

Dreams have come true as Australia's first-ever Paralympic three-on-three basketball team has touched down in Puerto Rico, Daniell Allen reports.

Special Olympics Australia and the Eltham community have joined forces to send off Australia's entry to the first-ever three-on-three basketball World Cup: Enter, the Eltham Wildcats.

The Wildcats are shooting for gold this 3x3 Basketball World Cup. (Image: Supplied)

Touching down in San Juan, Puerto Rico, today, the Wildcats have been training all year for the 2025 Special Olympics Unified 3x3 Basketball World Cup. The competition, styled after FIFA's World Cup, is the first unified basketball event in the Special Olympics, and sees 19 men's teams and 17 women's teams from across the globe compete.

Lachlan Broadbent has been training and travelling with the Wildcats for the past two years. Studying to be an educator, Broadbent makes sure everyone gets a fair go.

‘’It’s all about keeping things positive and making sure everyone is involved and having a good time,’’ Lachlan said.

Broadbent, 3rd from the left, has been working hard to get the team Olympics-ready. (image: Supplied)

‘’Having an on-court role in the program is great, making sure everyone gets a shot and working as a team.’’

In Unified Basketball, teams are made up of both neurodiverse athletes and their neurotypical partners, who assist them off court. Broadbent is supporting as a partner and has been closely involved in building the team and training the athletes.

Coach Naomi Symington, who has been volunteering with the Special Olympics for the past 23 years, is proud of the team's chemistry and the support they received from the local Eltham community.

‘’The day of the fundraiser was a fantastic showcase of the community coming together, which is the unified concept,’’ Naomi said.

"You can't tell who's neurodiverse or not when looking at the team, because they all wear the uniform, we like Unified to reflect everyone being together.’’

Working alongside other volunteers, Naomi and her daughter saw a need for more inclusion in Eltham's basketball program for those with special needs. Starting five years ago with only five participants, the program has grown to over seventy players this year.

Landed in San Juan and ready to hit the courts. (image: Supplied)

‘’We have amazing support from the Eltham Wildcats community, we couldn't be more thankful for their support, our athletes feel very connected to the club.’’

‘’It's crazy to think about where we started from, with five people, to now being the Australian team leading the country for the first time.’’