MIAMI (United States) – Creating opportunities for other women, strengthening women’s basketball and turning ideas into concrete projects. This is the path Mariana Cruz of Costa Rica and Martha Restrepo Jimenez of Colombia have followed through the FIBA Americas’ program Adelante 3.0, designed to train and empower future leaders in basketball.
Thanks to the projects they developed in their countries, both were selected to represent the Americas in the FIBA Women Leaders’ Program, supported by Molten. The experience allowed them to attend the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 in Berlin, Germany, and participate in the Women in Basketball Forum. There, they connected and shared experiences with leaders from other regions around the world.
For Cruz and Restrepo Jimenez, this opportunity represents much more than an international experience. It is also a way to bring new knowledge back to their communities, expand their professional network and create pathways for more women to find opportunities for development both on and off the court.
Opening doors
The two women became involved with Adelante at different times, but their experiences share one fundamental element: the program provided them with the tools to turn their ideas into action.
Cruz joined through the Costa Rican Basketball Federation while collaborating on volunteer activities and FIBA programs such as Her World, Her Rules. Since then, she has found more opportunities through Adelante to expand her knowledge and develop initiatives that address the needs of women’s basketball in her country.
“The program has taught me that we can create pathways to promote women’s basketball in our countries and develop real opportunities for women,” Cruz explained. She also highlighted the importance of sharing knowledge and advice with others through things like workshops and training sessions.
Restrepo Jimenez, meanwhile, joined Adelante in 2020 with the support of the Colombian Basketball Federation and FIBA. She believes these experiences have influenced both her professional and personal development, helping strengthen her skills and take on new challenges.
“I have learned that leadership is not only about holding a position or having a responsibility within sport. It is also about creating opportunities, building networks, sharing knowledge and opening pathways for other women to move forward,” said the Colombian representative.
This shared vision has become one of the program’s main contributions: preparing women to take on leadership roles while equipping them with the tools to turn what they learn into opportunities for others.
Two projects, one common goal
In Costa Rica, Cruz is leading the Comprehensive Women’s Basketball Development Program, an initiative designed to address challenges such as the lack of sustained competitive opportunities for young players, the limited visibility of female role models and the need to strengthen women’s participation across different areas of sport.
The project brings together a multidisciplinary committee of 12 women involved in basketball. This includes initiatives to develop officiating, promote mini basketball for girls and provide training in areas such as personal branding, social media, marketing and sponsorship. Among its achievements, Cruz highlighted the training of 51 women to serve as table officials in both 3x3 and 5x5 basketball, as well as preparations for a 3x3 mini-basketball festival exclusively for girls.
The initiative also aims to build a community where women can support one another, share knowledge and develop their skills. For Cruz, the learning opportunities provided by FIBA and Molten have been essential in shaping this work and expanding its reach.
“As a team, we have continued developing our skills and supporting each other so that every woman can move forward with her own projects and feel confident implementing them,” she said.
In Colombia, Restrepo Jimenez is developing Adelante Colombia – “Girls Who Play, Women Who Lead,” a nationwide initiative aimed at increasing girls’ and women’s participation and retention in basketball. The project seeks to connect players, coaches, referees and leaders while raising the visibility of their stories and expanding leadership opportunities.
The initiative addresses challenges such as early dropout, limited female representation among coaches and the need to establish clearer pathways for women to access decision-making positions. To achieve this, it aims to engage departmental leagues, educational institutions, families and communities, helping girls find role models and envision a future for themselves in sport.
“For me, empowering a girl means much more than teaching her how to play basketball. It means that when she steps onto a court, she can learn about the stories of other women who have walked that path and understand that she, too, can become a coach, referee, leader or sports administrator,” Restrepo Jimenez explained.
Although their projects address different national realities, both share the same purpose: the development of women’s basketball requires sustainable opportunities, visible role models and women equipped to lead their communities.
A network that multiplies opportunities
Participating in the FIBA Women Leaders’ Program, supported by Molten, broadened their perspectives by allowing them to learn about initiatives in other countries, exchange experiences and acquire tools to strengthen their own projects.
Cruz particularly emphasized the value of learning from women working to develop basketball in different parts of the world and discovering the strategies they use in their communities. She also highlighted how the training helped give their proposals greater structure and put them on a path toward long-term sustainability.
Restrepo Jimenez also stressed the importance of connections and shared learning. In her view, networks built among women make it possible to identify common challenges and exchange solutions.
“It is not enough to acquire knowledge. We need to use it to strengthen our projects, create new opportunities and open pathways for other women,” she said. “For me, true transformation happens when what we learn stops being only personal knowledge and begins to create opportunities for other people.”
That idea captures the impact both women hope to achieve through Adelante: ensuring that learning does not end with each participant, but extends to other women and the next generation who want to find their place in basketball.
With their projects underway, Cruz and Restrepo Jimenez continue working to expand women’s participation and strengthen women’s leadership in Costa Rica and Colombia. Their experiences reflect the purpose of Adelante 3.0: turning knowledge, collaboration and opportunities into tools to advance the growth of women’s basketball across the Americas.
FIBA