By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
The press conference of FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis on the last day of the Paris Olympics opened the stage for the next tournament in Los Angeles after a roaring success in France.
As Zagklis confirmed, in the 2024 Olympics a new record of attendance was registered breaking the one from Atlanta in 1996.
Back in 1996, almost 1,07 million fans attended is total of 92 games. The Paris Games has touched the 1.08 million mark in 52 games.
Playing in a 27.000-seat arena in Lille proved to be a game-changer as the average attendance in the group phase both for men and women was 22.000 fans, while in the 2016 Rio Olympics, the number was just 3.000 per average in the group phase.
“The numbers are staggering and show the growth of our sport, both on the men’s and women’s side,” Zagklis said including ratings, google search numbers, and engagement on social media.
Intuit Dome to host Olympic basketball in 2028
Zagklis also praised the Intuit Dome, the new home of the Los Angeles Clippers, and the venue selected as the site for basketball at the 2028 Summer Olympics.
“This is an arena that has been designed for the fans, for the experience of the fans,” Zagklis said. “So I expect excellent images and top-level experience for our players.”
Zagklis also confirmed that the talks between the FIBA and the NBA are constant, noting that the NBA and FIBA relationship was never stronger than it is today.
“It is natural for us to have discussions on a new project on broadening our cooperation in either new continents or other areas of our sport, recognizing that what one does best is commercializing basketball at the very top and what the other does best — that’s us — is developing the sport across 212 countries”, he explained however there’s nothing specific on the table yet, rather than the effort in Europe “to unite the family and grow the sport.”
It has to be noted that on this point, the EuroLeague CEO Paulius Motiejunas was present on Sunday morning together with Zagklis in the bronze medal game, as FIBA welcomes any contact with every shareholder.
Rudy and Taurasi becoming legends
The Paris Games were the sixth and probably the last Olympics for Spaniard Rudy Fernandez, who retired from basketball, and also for Diana Taurasi, from the US, who has not yet announced anything about her future.
As Zagklis said: “They deserve our recognition and admiration. And I’m sure not only their younger teammates in the locker room but many young people in their countries are inspired by the two of them”.