MIAMI (United States) – Mariana Cruz from Costa Rica and Martha Restrepo Jimenez from Colombia are advancing women's basketball through the FIBA Americas program, Adelante 3.0, which aims to train and empower future leaders in the sport. Their successful initiatives led to their selection to represent the Americas in the FIBA Women Leaders' Program, supported by Molten, allowing them to attend the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 in Berlin and participate in the Women in Basketball Forum, where they connected with international leaders.
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Both women view this opportunity as a means to acquire knowledge, expand their professional networks, and create development pathways for women in sports. Cruz became involved with Adelante through the Costa Rican Basketball Federation, participating in volunteer activities and FIBA’s Her World, Her Rules program. She emphasized the program’s role in enabling her to create initiatives that promote women's basketball in her country, stating, "The program has taught me that we can create pathways to promote women’s basketball in our countries."
Restrepo Jimenez joined Adelante in 2020 with support from the Colombian Basketball Federation. She noted that her involvement has fostered her personal and professional growth, stating, "Leadership is not just about holding a position but about creating opportunities and building networks for other women."
Cruz leads the Comprehensive Women’s Basketball Development Program in Costa Rica, which aims to tackle challenges like the lack of competitive opportunities for young female players. Her project has trained 51 women to be table officials in both 3x3 and 5x5 formats and plans to host a mini-basketball festival specifically for girls. Cruz highlighted the importance of creating a supportive community among women to foster their development.
In Colombia, Restrepo Jimenez is implementing "Girls Who Play, Women Who Lead," a national initiative targeting increased participation of girls and women in basketball. This project connects players, coaches, referees, and leaders, and works to raise the profiles of female role models while addressing issues such as dropout rates and limited representation among coaches. She expressed, "For me, empowering a girl means that she understands she can aspire to be a coach, referee, leader, or sports administrator."
While their initiatives address distinct challenges, both share a commitment to developing sustainable opportunities and visible role models for women in basketball. Participating in the FIBA Women Leaders’ Program enriched their perspectives, as they learned from other countries' initiatives and shared effective strategies for enhancing their own projects.
Cruz underscored the significance of learning from international counterparts and how it has structured their proposals for long-term sustainability. Restrepo Jimenez echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the importance of collaboration to solve common challenges.
With their ongoing efforts, Cruz and Restrepo Jimenez are dedicated to enhancing women’s participation and leadership in basketball in their respective countries, embodying the mission of Adelante 3.0: to leverage knowledge and collaboration to advance women’s basketball throughout the Americas.