FIBA Executive Committee enthusiastic about the busy events season
Photo credit: FIBA website
The FIBA Executive Committee convened by video conference yesterday for their second meeting of 2023, in the middle of a very busy events season, culminating with the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 tipping off on August 25 across the three host nations of the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia.
The following key topics were discussed during the meeting:
FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023
The Executive Committee has approved the appointment of Princess Takamado of Japan as the Honorary Patron of the FIBA Basketball World Cup Japan.
A report on final preparations was also presented, including many promotional activities going on worldwide, including the Trophy Tour presented by J9.
The digital impact of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Draw presented by Wanda was impressive, with 208 million impressions and 62 million video views, which represents a threefold improvement on engagements and fivefold in video views compared to the 2019 Draw.
Qualification for the Olympic Games Paris 2024
Reports were received on the preparations for the upcoming FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournaments, which are to be played in Lagos (NGR), Santiago del Estero (ARG), Damascus (SYR), Tallinn (EST), Gliwice (POL) and Istanbul (TUR) from August 12-20 August.
The bidding process for the Olympic Qualifying Tournaments for both men and women was presented, the latter being already underway and the former opening in the next few days.
The Executive Committee also received reports on the air-conditioning studies conducted jointly with Paris 24 for the venue in Lille and agreed to closely monitor the implementation phase of the project. It was decided that FIBA will hire specialist engineers also during the event, who will advise on the court conditions and appropriate measures to be taken in order to protect the safety of the players throughout the Olympic Basketball Tournaments.
Youth events
The Executive Committee received a post event report on the successful FIBA U19 Basketball World 2023 played in Debrecen (HUN) and expressed its gratitude to the hosts for being the first in the world to conclude the innovative 3-year hosting model.
The upcoming FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World 2023 that will be played in Madrid (ESP) from July, 15-23 was also presented, where a glass floor will be used for the first time at a FIBA competition.
Club Competitions
The final reports of the season of FIBA’s Club Competitions was presented for the Basketball Champions League (BCL), the Basketball Champions League Americas (BCLA), the Basketball Africa League (BAL) and the FIBA West Asia Super League (WASL).
The Executive Committee received a report on the preparation of the 33rd edition of FIBA Intercontinental Cup to be played in Singapore from September 21-24, 2023.
3x3
The Executive Committee received reports on 3x3’s National Teams and professional circuit, with a record number of 74 Pro Events being played this year. The exponential increase in social media figures was acknowledged, thanks to successful delivery of events this year and creative collaborations like the FIBA 3x3 Streamer’s event.
Relationship with Euroleague Commercial Assets (ECA)
The Executive Committee approved a report on the status of the matter, including the joint statement of the two parties.
Strategic Objectives
Status reports on FIBA’s three strategic priorities, with various achievements since the beginning of the cycle, including:
1- More than 90 National Federations already involved in the FIBA Plus programs
2- FIBA Academy programs implemented for Players, Coaches Executives and Officials, with the official launch of additional programs scheduled at the FIBA Congress next month
3- 35 youth development camps organized worldwide
4- 82 National Federations involved in Mini Basketball, 39 in Youth Leaders activities and 64 in community impact projects
1- 117 National Federations participated in the “Her World, Her Rules” Campaign
2- 88 National Federations followed the Women in Basketball training program
3- More than 30% increase of female licensed referees between 2021 and 2023
4- Record number of events and prize-money of more than 1 M in the 3x3 Women’s Series
5- Women in Leadership programs implemented in three regions
1- Establishment of a dedicated eFIBA calendar for national teams to engage in international competitions at continental and world level
2- Innovation through the LED glass floor to be used for the first time in a FIBA competition at the FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup
The Executive Committee also approved the proposal for the update to the 2023-27 FIBA Strategy, emphasizing on National Federation development, Women in Basketball and Club competitions, which will be presented to the Central Board and Congress in Manila (22-24 August 2023), prior to the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.