Norman coaches to expand sports program to Iraq

This summer, Steve DeVoss and members of his international coaching network will spend five weeks in Baghdad running youth and adaptive sports camps.

By MEREDITH MORIAK | Published: May 16, 2010 Comment on this article

Leave a comment

NORMAN — This summer, Steve DeVoss and members of his international coaching network will spend five weeks in Baghdad running youth and adaptive sports camps.

The camps, funded through a U.S. State Department grant, aim to foster relations between the U.S. and Iran, said Wyatt Worden, director of development for Norman-based Global Sports Partners.

The Baghdad initiative, which includes three instructional basketball camps for boys, girls and coaches, and an adaptive sports program for youth with disabilities, is one of hundreds DeVoss and his company have held during the past 18 years.

"This summer’s program in Baghdad is a pretty good snapshot of who we are and what we do. ... We’re working with youth, and we’re doing basketball,” DeVoss said during a phone interview from the company’s international office in Cyprus.

DeVoss, a former Murray State baseball player and Norman youth sports coach, learned early on that sports bring people together.

In 1992, he was looking for a way to share his athletic knowledge and engage athletes in cross-cultural experiences.

Page 1 of 2

1 2 Next