South Tyneside basketball player to represent Team GB at European Championships in Italy

A talented basketball player from South Tyneside will represent Team GB in European Championships over 20 years after first competing in the same tournament.

Chris Ord, from Jarrow took part in the European Championships back in 2002 as a 6ft 5in 14-year-old when he was selected to play under the England Youth team.

Now 37, Chris who works a photographer will once again compete in the same competition playing for the over 35’s team after successfully being selected following trials.

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Chris took hiatus from the sport aged 16 and returned to basketball following Covid-19 and now plays for Kenton Force in Newcastle.

The father of two said: “I left basketball when I was 16 and then following Covid when everyone was wanting to get fit and taking up new sports I decided to get back into basketball. My two sons have been inspired by it and both play basketball.

“It feels really good to be back playing the sport and seeing some old friends and I’m looking forward to taking part in the championships.”

The European Championships will take place in Italy this June over the course of 10 days.

In order to attend Chris needs to raise funds to cover the costs of travel and accommodation. The total cost to attend the championships is around £4,000.

He has set up a fundraiser to help him raise the funds. Donations to the fundraiser can be made at https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/chris-ord-3

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