MEDICE sponsors first elementary school basketball championship of the Iserlohn Kangaroos

07.03.2023

The already existing cooperation of the MEDICE Health Family with the Iserlohn Kangaroos will be extended with a new event format. The existing MEDICE Cup, as a sporting competition format for elementary schools from the local area, will become the "MEDICE Basketball Elementary School World Championship" for the first time this year. Under the patronage of the MEDICE shareholder family Pütter-Ammer, almost 150 pupils will compete against each other in a multidisciplinary competition this summer.

The competition is based on a holistic concept so that each child can contribute and develop his or her personal strengths: knowledge transfer, creativity and sports (final basketball tournament) are of equal importance. The competition therefore takes place not only on the sports field, but also in elementary school science and art classes. While comprehensive content on the participating country is learned in science lessons, the students make their own country-specific shirts for the sporting part of the competition in art lessons. The winner of the MEDICE World Cup is then determined on the basis of an overall ranking from the three performance areas.

Beyond the existing, long-standing cooperation between the Kangaroos and MEDICE, both parties are particularly committed to promoting sporting events for the youngest. "We are convinced that we can inspire local children to think beyond borders, to take an interest in other countries in the world and to work as a team towards a common goal. We may also be able to get more kids into basketball and discover one or two of tomorrow's stars," says Bärbel Pütter. As the wife of the late Managing Director Dr. Sigurd Pütter, she would like to continue her husband's social and cultural commitment. In addition to the interest in the sport, MEDICE wants to promote creativity and teamwork among the children, which unfortunately were often limited in times of the Corona pandemic. Promoting the individual development of children and incorporating their personal strengths through the various competition components convinced the Pütter-Ammer family to become patrons of the project.

"Fast action, creativity, team spirit and the appreciation of exercise and health - for us, these are all associated with basketball, and they are all qualities that the new format promotes in an exemplary and holistic way and for which we as the MEDICE Health Family stand," explains Bärbel Pütter. Regular exercise plays an essential role in maintaining health, as sport improves almost every aspect of cognitive health. This connection has also been found in children. Accordingly, sports should be started with children at an early age to advance the development of cognition. Sports activities thus have a positive influence on physical health, but also on mental development: children learn better through physical activity, as exercise promotes the formation of neuronal connections in the child's brain.

By sponsoring regional sporting events, the MEDICE Health Family is following its mission. "One of our guiding principles is 'Together for a Healthier World.' Our daily drive is to improve people's health and lives in as many ways as possible," says Dr. Katja Pütter-Ammer, managing partner of MEDICE.