By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
With the February window of World Cup Qualifiers over, the FIBA executive committee met on March 12th to discuss it in-depth. Other talking points were also FIBA 3×3 and FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup.
Here is the most important information from the meeting:
FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Qualifiers
The Executive Committee was given an in-depth presentation on the first two windows, which were resounding successes with attendance records set across the globe in both November and February.
The total number of spectators at the games played worldwide surpassed 300,000 in each window, with the European Qualifiers registering an 80 percent average arena occupancy rate in February. More than 600 million people have been reached via digital channels since November, confirming the high interest that fans have for the Qualifiers.
Areas of improvement were also discussed ahead of the third window that will take place in June-July and bring to a close the First Round.
The Executive Committee unanimously confirmed that FIBA needs to retain a worldwide calendar which includes the regular presence of national teams throughout the year.
FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019
As the first-ever 32-team FIBA Basketball World Cup is less than two years away, an important number of milestones are taking place in 2018 and the Executive Committee was brought up to speed on these.
On January 23, the finalists in the running to be the official mascot for China 2019 were unveiled. The winner will be announced digitally on April 18, the day that marks exactly 500 days to the start of the competition.
More activities on the Road to China 2019 will take place over the summer and autumn, including a Celebration Game, the unveiling of countdown clocks as well as the launch of tickets sales and of the official tournament ball.
FIBA 3×3
The Executive Committee was given an update on key activities of its urban discipline.
On February 20, the full schedule for the seventh edition of the FIBA 3×3 World Tour was unveiled and will feature two more stops in 2018, with the number of events increasing from 8 to 10. More history is set to be made this year with the total prize money increased to S1 million USD, double what it had been the previous season.
As well as the World Tour, another main event in the months ahead will be the FIBA 3×3 World Cup 2018, taking place from June 8-12 in Manila, Philippines. Forty teams – 20 men and 20 women – from 37 different countries will take part in the competition staged in the 55,000-capacity Philippine Arena, the world’s largest indoor venue.
FIBA Women’s Competitions 2018+
The Executive Committee approved details of the new competition system for women starting as of 2019. The new format includes qualifying tournaments for major competitions, which will be played during international windows. The exact details at the continental level will be finalized in the next months.
Photo credit: FIBA