In just over 30 days the Boomers will head into the FIBA basketball World Cup starting their campaign in Okinawa in front of a group of passionate and noisy Australian fans.
Amongst them will be lifelong basketball fan Steve Dunn who has been in the stands at four Olympics, countless World Championships stirring up support and flying the flag for the green and gold.
And next month’s he’s leading Sportslink Travels’ tour to Okinawa, Japan then on to the Philippines as the Boomers look to reach the podium in the 2023 FIBA Men’s World Cup.
The son of a basketball player/coach and referee, Dunn was raised on the courts of Whyalla in country South Australia. While working in London, he created the ANZAC League social competition with 1000 Australian ex-pats.
“Myself and a mate went on 1998 World Cup tour to Athens, we met another guy and another guy and by game three there were 15 of us all sitting together,” he said.
“And at the end of the tour we got to know we got hooked up with tickets for the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and we were the unofficial Boomers cheer squad at the time and that’s where my journey started.”
First a supporter then the connector, Dunn has been looking after and bringing together the parents of Boomers and Opals since the Beijing Olympics.
“In 2008 I got to meet the parents, and being a parent at the time, that’s when I really realised it’s not about the players but the parents who have always travelled and put the time and effort in.
“The men’s parents didn’t know each other, the women’s were only meeting for the first time and there was nobody bringing them together so that’s what I did, put on a welcome party and a farewell party at Beijing and then the same in London.”
To travel to the World Cup and support the Boomers with Sportslink check out the travel packages at www.sportslinktravel.com
