FIBA

The International Basketball Federation, more commonly known as FIBA ( /ˈfiːbə/ fee-bə), from its French name Fédération Internationale de Basketball, is an association of national organizations which governs international competition in basketball. Originally known as the Fédération Internationale de Basketball Amateur (hence FIBA), in 1989 it dropped the word Amateur from its official name but retained the initialism, the "BA" now representing the first two letters of basketball.

FIBA defines the international rules of basketball, specifies the equipment and facilities required, regulates the transfer of athletes across countries, and controls the appointment of international referees. A total of 214 national federations are now members, organized since 1989 into five zones or "commissions": Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania.

The FIBA World Championship is a world basketball tournament for men's national teams held every four years. Teams compete for the Naismith Trophy, named in honor of basketball's creator James Naismith. The tournament structure is similar but not identical to that of the FIFA World Cup in football; these tournaments have occurred in the same year since 1970. A parallel event for women's teams, the FIBA World Championship for Women, is also held quadrennially, in the same year as the men's event but in a different country.

In 2009 FIBA announced three new tournaments: two 12-team U-17 World Championships (one each for men and women) to be played in July 2010, and an eight-team FIBA World Club Championship to be launched in October 2010.

History

The association was founded in Geneva in 1932, two years after the sport was officially recognized by the IOC. Its original name was Fédération Internationale de Basketball Amateur. Eight nations were founding members: Argentina, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Romania, and Switzerland. During the 1936 Summer Olympics held in Berlin, the Federation named James Naismith (1861–1939), the founder of basketball, as its Honorary President.

FIBA has organized a World Championship for men since 1950 and a World Championship for Women since 1953. Both events are now held every four years, alternating with the Olympics.

In 1989, FIBA opened the door to Olympic participation by professionals such as players from the NBA in the United States. At this point, the Fédération Internationale de Basketball Amateur became the Fédération Internationale de Basketball, but retained FIBA as an abbreviation.

The Federation headquarters moved to Munich in 1956, then returned to Geneva in 2002. Patrick Baumann is the Secretary General of FIBA.

In 1991 it founded FIBA Hall of Fame, the first induction ceremony was held on 12 September 2007 during EuroBasket 2007.

Presidents

• 1932–1948: Leon Bouffard

• 1932-1939: James A. Naismith (honourary)

• 1948–1960: Willard Greim
• 1960–1968: Antonio dos Reis Carneiro
• 1968–1976: Abdel Moneim Wahby
• 1976–1984: Gonzalo Puyat II
• 1984–1990: Robert Busnel
• 1990–1998: George E. Killian
• 1998–2002: Abdoulaye Seye Moreau
• 2002–2006: Dr. Carl Men Ky Ching (程万琦)
• 2006–2010: Bob Elphinston
• 2010–2014: Yvan Mainini (ran unopposed)

Secretaries General

• 1932–1976: Renato William Jones
• 1976–1995: Borislav Stanković
• 1995–present: Patrick Baumann

Tournaments

Current champions:

National teams

• FIBA no longer holds Under-21 World Championships and Under-20 Zone Championships, except in Europe.^[2]

Clubs

Note:

• The men's Euroleague is totally controlled by ULEB, a consortium of European domestic and transnational leagues. The ULEB Eurocup, known as the ULEB Cup until the 2008–09 season, is jointly run by ULEB and FIBA Europe, but only the two preliminary rounds of that competition are run by FIBA Europe. Both competitions, however, use FIBA's rule set. By contrast, both the EuroLeague Women and EuroCup Women, despite the similar names to the corresponding men's competitions, are completely controlled by FIBA Europe.

• The Liga Sudamericana and the Campeonato Sudamericano de Clubes is operated by the South American Basketball Confederation, an affiliate of FIBA Americas.

• The NBL and WNBL are separate organisations based in Australia. Both leagues, which use FIBA rules, have teams throughout Australia plus the New Zealand Breakers, a men's professional basketball team based in Auckland, New Zealand.

• The Philippine Basketball Association based in the Philippines, is the oldest professional basketball league in Asia and the second oldest in the world after the National Basketball Association of the United States. (Note that in this context, "oldest" refers to the date that the league operated as fully professional. For example, many European leagues predate the PBA—the European Champions Cup, which evolved into the Euroleague, has existed since 1958, but the leagues that sent teams to the Champions Cup were nominally amateur until at least the 1970s, if not later.)

FIBA World Rankings

• #1 men's team:  United States
• #1 women's team:  United States
• #1 combined ranking: United States

References

External links

• FIBA official website
• History of amateur and professional basketball in Canada at Frozen Hoops
• InterBasket – International Basketball News, Blog and Forum, covering FIBA, Euroleague, NBA