A former Olympian and the founder of a new sports foundation aimed at helping African youth is hosting a Father’s Day father/son basketball championship at Evergreen High School.
Proceeds from the June 16 fundraiser will help provide basketball shoes for young African athletes. The fee for each father/son team is $125.
Denver resident Aubin Goporo, a native of the Central African Republic, founded the St. George Sports Foundation earlier this year.
“I know how much young athletes in Africa need; I’ve experienced it,” he said. “So I’m just trying to help out.”
The Father’s Day event is not just about helping people in another country, he said.
“This is for any father and son,” he said. “Just come in and let’s have two hours of fun. The idea is to bring fathers and sons together through the game of basketball, promoting bonding, teamwork, and healthy lifestyles.”
Goporo is a basketball coach at the Evergreen Sports Academy and said he plans to move to Evergreen.
Most recently, he worked as director of student-athlete development for the Tennessee Volunteers basketball team.
Goporo competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics with the Central African Republic national basketball team, and later became the team’s coach. He is the former head basketball coach and athletic director at Florida Air Academy, helping it win five state championships in 15 seasons.
The African Central Republic is one of the world’s poorest countries with more than 5 million people, 80 ethnic groups and a civil war that’s been ongoing since 2012. Its infrastructure is crumbling, its education system stretched thin and it is listed as “one of the world’s most neglected, protracted humanitarian crises,” according to the European Commission.
Goporo hopes his Father’s Day fundraiser can become a tradition.
“I hope to make this a tradition so that we keep doing it, every year,” he said.
The event starts at noon, with an 11 a.m. check-in at EHS. Fees can be paid by check or cash at registration.
For more information, email agoporo@stgeorgesports.org