FIBA Europe, the European governing body for basketball, has joined seven other sports federations by becoming a partner of the European Olympic Committees (EOC) EU Office in Brussels. 

The EOC EU Office represents the EOC to European institutions, working with towards a European Sports policy. It also represents the interests of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at national, European and international level. 

“I am extremely pleased to welcome the prestigious organisation of FIBA Europe as our latest partner. When we established the EOC EU Office, it was organisations such as FIBA Europe that we wanted to target in order to build a strong network of Olympic Movement sports’ organisations to partner with the EU’s institutions,” said EOC President Patrick Hickey. 

“The European Union brings a number of challenges as well as opportunities for the field of sport. The EOC EU Office is our answer to facing these challenges and to taking full advantage of these opportunities. With basketball being one of the major team sports in Europe, I am sure that this partnership will be of mutual benefit to FIBA Europe and to the EOC in many EU policy areas, but also beyond the EU institutions.” 

FIBA Europe is the sixth European Federation to partner with the EOC EU Office, following European Athletics, European Aquatics, the European Handball Federation, the European Volleyball Confederation and Rugby Europe. The EOC EU Office has also partnered with two International Federations: FIFA and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). 

"At FIBA Europe, we are always looking to build partnerships with institutions that share our commitment to sport and the positive impact it has on young people and our societies,” said FIBA Europe President Turgay Demirel.

“The EOC EU Office is one such institution. Basketball is one of Europe's leading sports, and this relationship will allow us to work more effectively towards our goal of strengthening the game in each of our member countries and beyond."

Basketball has been featured in every edition of the European Youth Olympic Festival, dating back to the inaugural games in 1991. 

 “FIBA Europe’s commitment to the European Olympic family grew last summer in Baku when our exciting new format, 3x3, proved to be one of the biggest hits with fans at the inaugural European Games,” said FIBA Executive Director Europe Kamil Novak.

“Now, becoming a partner of the EOC EU Office is the next logical step in our mutually beneficial relationship.”

A full list of the EOC EU Office’s partners can be found at http://www.euoffice.eurolympic.org/partners

The world governing body for basketball announced on its YouTube channel on Friday that China will host the 2019 FIBA World Cup, after the country’s bid leader said basketball could become the world’s most popular sport. 

China’s bid was selected ahead of a rival proposal from The Philippines. 

The 2019 FIBA World Cup will incorporate more host cities than ever, FIBA said, with Beijing, Dongguan, Foshan, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Shenzhen, Suzhou and Wuhan all set to host games. 

Beijing will host all games from the quarter finals to the final, in addition to some group games.

New venues will be built in Foshan and Suzhou to accommodate the tournament. 

The decision will enable FIBA to build on a strong presence for the sport in China. 

"At least 300 million people play basketball in China and if we host the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup, we can increase that participation,” said Zhang Jiandong, Vice Mayor of Beijing and Chairman of the China 2019 bid committee.

“China is the most populous country in the world and we can make basketball the most popular sport in the world. We believe that we can make the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup a complete success because of China's economic stability, strong financial guarantee and the government's complete support. We can make it a safe, most reliable and risk-free event."

Basketball is already the most popular sport in The Philippines, according to Manuel V Pangilinan, President of the Philippines Basketball Association.

"Ninety percent of the population play, watch or follow the sport in one way or another,” he said. “It's not just Filipinos in the Philippines that are passionate about the sport. It's Filipinos all over the world. Football may be number one in many places around the world, but basketball is number one in the Philippines."

Manny Pacquiao, Philippines Congressman and eight-time world boxing champion said "I am a boxer but I am here because I love basketball so that tells you the passion that Filipinos have for basketball. If we host the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup, we can show that passion to the world."

Asked to compare enthusiasm for the sport between the two countries, Chinese basketball star Yao Ming said "You can't say that one type of love is better than the other. Both are great. Both countries have a great passion for basketball, particularly for FIBA basketball."

Gao Zhidan, Vice-President of the Chinese Olympic Committee said: "Basketball is very popular in China and if we host the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup, we can foresee a great rise in that popularity. This will have a great impact on the professional league (CBA) as well as the university league which is developing very fast. It will help with our aim to train more athletes and get a bigger pool of talented players."

Edmonton, the Canadian city bidding to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games is looking forward to hosting a much smaller event in 2015 – the FIBA Americas Women's Championships, because it fits with its strategy of attracting events that the community is interested in.

“We are very excited to be hosting the FIBA Americas Women's Championships in August 2015,” Candice Stasynec, executive director of Edmonton Events told HOST CITY. 

“In our event strategy we have identified specific events and activities that make sense for our community. It is gratifying to see the strategy coming to life.”

Basketball has been targeted as a key sport for the city. “What is so satisfying about winning this event is that is part of our larger strategy of further developing Edmonton as a centre of excellence in basketball and the home of basketball in Canada,” she said.

“The Canadian Senior Women's National Basketball Team calls Edmonton home now. We are hoping to attract all the national teams to do the same.”

The reach of the event is boosted by the fact that the tournament will also serve as the qualifiers for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. 

“Our Canadian women’s national basketball team now has the opportunity to compete for an Olympic berth with a home-court advantage,” said Michele O’Keefe, Executive Director of Canada Basketball. “Hosting is a strategic priority for Canada Basketball and this Championship is a great step forward.”

Choosing the right event for cities to bid for is a key theme of HOST CITY’s Bid to Win conference in London on 28th October, which provides a unique dialogue between rights holders and cities.

Bal Gosal, Minister of State for Sport said “Hosting international sport events such as the FIBA Americas Championship for Women provides an opportunity for our athletes to achieve their podium goals in front of enthusiastic Canadian crowds and gives a great boost to the local economy.”

The Championships take place on 9-16 August 2015 with 10 teams from the Americas zone competing in the eight-day tournament. All 24 games are being played at the Saville Community Sports Centre (SCSC) at the University of Alberta’s South Campus in Edmonton.

The showpiece conclusion to the men’s tournament will be staged at the multi-purpose Lille Arena, which will have a capacity of 27,000 for the EuroBasket.

For the first time, the group phase of the competition will be shared between four countries, with Zagreb (Croatia), Berlin (Germany) and Riga (Latvia) joining Montpellier in France as host cities.

“This is an important moment in the history of European basketball, as we have voted not only for the hosts of next year's event but also on pioneering a new concept, with four hosts,” Fiba Europe president Turgay Demirel said. “All bids were of the highest quality and it was not easy to choose between them. I would like to thank all bidders for their commitment and their excellent preparation work, coming up to the vote.”

A total of 16 national bodies expressed an interest in hosting the tournament, leading to eight formal bids. Finland, Israel, Poland and Turkey were the countries to miss out in the bidding process. Croatia, France and Turkey tabled bids to host one of the four group phase pools and the final phase knock-out round, while Turkey bid to organise the final phase only. All other bids were solely for pool-phase hosting.

France was left as the only candidate to host the final phase after Turkey shelved its bid and Poland and Croatia withdrew their pitches for the showpiece stage before the Fiba Europe board met to finalise hosting arrangements.

EuroBasket 2015 was originally slated to take place in the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv, Donetsk, Lviv, Odessa, Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk before the ongoing political unrest in the eastern European country persuaded Fiba Europe into a June re-think. After removing the tournament from Ukraine, Fiba Europe said it would seek to determine whether the country could host the 2017 edition of the biennial event.

EuroBasket 2015 will take place from September 5-20 next year and the tournament will serve as a qualifying competition for the Rio 2016 summer Olympic Games.

[Source: FIBA] FIBA today announced that Mongolia will host the FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup 2027, from March 31 to April 4, in the heart of the capital, Ulaanbaatar, where the rise of 3x3 basketball shows no signs of slowing down.

Mongolia’s hosting of Asia’s biggest 3x3 event follows a recent landmark moment for Mongolian basketball, with more than 50,000 passionate fans turning up in Sukhbaatar Square for an unforgettable FIBA 3x3 World Cup 2025. The Mongolian women’s team thrilled local supporters with a remarkable run to the final, earning nationwide praise and recognition. Days after the event, the team was received by the President of Mongolia, Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh, and awarded an honorary athlete distinction in honour of their achievement.

"Mongolia continues to prove itself as a true world-class hub for 3x3 basketball,” said FIBA 3x3 Managing Director Alex Sanchez. “The fans, the atmosphere, and the quality on the half-court make Mongolia the ideal host for the FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup 2027. We are excited to return to Ulaanbaatar, ten years after Mongolia made history by staging the first-ever FIBA Asia Cup in 2017."

This latest announcement marks another milestone in Mongolia’s impressive journey as a leader in 3x3 basketball development in Asia. Mongolia has continued to strengthen its reputation as a trusted and passionate host of major international 3x3 events such as the FIBA 3x3 U18 World Cup 2019, the FIBA 3x3 U23 World Cup 2024, annual FIBA 3x3 Women’s Series stop and FIBA 3x3 World Tour. The recent FIBA 3x3 World Cup 2025 showcased once again Mongolia’s incredible passion for 3x3 basketball and its ability to deliver world-class urban sporting events.

About FIBA 3x3

Exciting, urban and innovative, 3x3 is inspired by several forms of streetball played worldwide and is considered the world’s number one urban team sport. Steered by FIBA, games see two teams of three players face off on a basketball half-court.
It was played successfully for the first time in international competition at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games in Singapore and since then has benefited from the launch of a yearly professional circuit for men and women (World Tour and Women’s Series respectively) and national-team competitions. 3x3 made its Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 Games.
 

[Source: FIBA] The FIBA 3x3 World Tour 2024 season grand finale will be held in Hong Kong for the first time ever on November 23-24. The world's best 3x3 men's teams will battle it out for the World Tour title.

A regular host of major basketball events, the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Final in Hong Kong will culminate an action-packed World Tour season and showcase the world's best 3x3 players. The FIBA 3x3 World Tour Final is the ultimate World Tour stop as it features the best teams, and serves as the last stop of the season. The top 11 teams in the season standings will automatically qualify for the Hong Kong Final. Meanwhile, the 12th-ranked team, the host team (Hong Kong), and the team with the most combined Challenger and World Tour wins (excluding those already qualified) will battle for the remaining spot in a play-in event.

"The 13th edition of the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Final in Hong Kong is a testament to the city's growing importance in the 3x3 community and its ability to host world-class sporting events," said Alex Sanchez, Managing Director of FIBA 3x3. "After the success of our World Tour events here in the past two years and the recent FIBA 3x3 Universality Olympic Qualifying Tournament, it was a natural step to bring our biggest pro tour event to this vibrant city."

Mr. Kenny Wong, CEO of the Organizing Committee for the World Tour Final, highlighted the city's readiness and enthusiasm for hosting the event. "Hong Kong is thrilled to welcome the world's best 3x3 teams and their fans to our city. With its iconic backdrop and passionate basketball community, we are set to provide a spectacular setting for the pinnacle of the 3x3 season."

This year's World Tour features 17 stops around the globe, with Ub Huishan NE (SRB) aiming to defend their title as the two-time reigning champions. As teams prepare for the intense competition, all eyes will be on Hong Kong, where the world of 3x3 will converge for an unforgettable finale.

Updated 2024 season:

Utsunomiya Opener (April 27-28)
Marseille (May 31 – June 1)
Ulaanbaatar (June 8-9)
Chengdu (June 22-23)
Edmonton (July 6-7)
Almaty (July 13-14)
Lausanne (August 16-17)
Debrecen (August 31 – September 1)
Shanghai (September 21-22)
Wuxi (October 6-7)
Amsterdam (October 12-13)
Macau (October 19-20)
Abu Dhabi (October 26-27)
Manama (November 1-2)
Neom (November 7-9)
Shenzhen (November 16-17)
Hong Kong Final (November 23-24)
 

For a list of World Tour qualifiers, please click here

Copenhagen is preparing for an urban festival with street activities in the heart of the Danish capital when the FIBA 3x3 Europe Cup Qualifier and 3x3 Europe Cup 2025 take place.

“We are really happy and proud of bringing the 3x3 Europe Cup to Denmark for the first time”, Kamil Novak, FIBA Europe Executive Director said. “Copenhagen and Denmark are perfect matches to 3x3 as one of the missions of this discipline is to bring basketball to the people and show that everyone can be successful in 3x3.”

"We are proud to host the Euro Cup 2025 and the qualifier on Danish soil in collaboration with Wonderful Copenhagen and Sport Event Denmark,” said Mads Young Christensen chairman of the board of Danish Basketball Federation (DBBF). I am thrilled that for the first time in Danish basketball history we will host a European Championship. We get the opportunity to showcase our fantastic sport to the Danes and show our international basketball family why Denmark is unique as a host nation for major sporting events."

The 3x3 Europe Cup will be staged in September 2025 in a public square in central Copenhagen with a venue large enough to accommodate 1,200 spectators. In 2024, the Copenhageners can warm up with the 3x3 Europe Cup 2024 Qualifier.

Other activities and side events also include school programs, exercise, and competitions enabling the children to try the urban and Olympic discipline.

Denmark's Basketball Federation expects between 7,000 and 8,400 paying spectators for the Europe Cup 2025 and up to 90,000 spontaneous spectators.

The Danish Basketball Federation, in collaboration with Wonderful Copenhagen and Sport Event Denmark, bid for and won the two events.

"I am absolutely thrilled that Copenhagen will be hosting the European Championship in 3x3 basketball,” said Lord Mayor Sophie Hæstorp Andersen. “It offers a unique opportunity for us to host a big international sport tournament in urban surroundings and combine it with street sport activities that everyone can participate in. I hope the event will encourage more people to try street sports, and I look forward to the celebrations in the streets of Copenhagen.”

"3x3 is one of the new Olympic disciplines with high entertainment value and great street credit,” said Lars Lundov, director of Sport Event Denmark. “Therefore, the Europe Cup 2025, the qualifier in 2024, and Copenhagen are a perfect match. Together with the Danish Basketball Federation, and Copenhagen, we are planning a vast program of side activities during the urban festival embracing the tournaments.”

“We are really excited to welcome the 3x3 Europe Cup to Copenhagen,” said Kit Lykketoft, Director of Convention at Wonderful Copenhagen. “In Copenhagen, we have a focus on creating events with broad and lasting legacies and the 3x3 Europe Cup is not only a testament to Copenhagen’s position as a leading sport event host city but also a great example of how a strong collaboration between organisations can create elite events that are closely tied to local life and leave a positive lasting legacy in the city.”

[Source: Jordan Olympic Committee] A major step in FIBA’s efforts to advance its safeguarding and protection approach has been reached today, when the FIBA Safeguarding Council met for a final review of the new Safeguarding Policy. Having gone through extensive reviews by the Council members as well as relevant FIBA internal structures, the draft Policy will be presented for approval at the forthcoming meeting of the FIBA Central Board.

Discussing the significance of this first step, the Council members reiterated the importance this Policy will have in ensuring basketball is being accessed by anyone who wants to take part and enjoy the game: in a fair and equitable safe space, free from all forms of harm and abuse, regardless of playing level.

The Council, the majority of which is composed of independent members, has also looked at the steps that will follow Policy’s adoption later this year. HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein, Council’s Founding Chairman, said: “FIBA moved fast to finalise its Safeguarding Policy, and is now ready to engage with its stakeholders, promote its safeguarding efforts, and contextualise and adjust practices that will protect not only vulnerable but all players and basketball participants, regardless of who or where they are. It is paramount for our Olympic and sport Movement to adopt such policies and standards, to follow FIBA and other stakeholders in making sure young people in particular are able to thrive while playing safe sport”.

FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis reiterated: “I have been delighted to welcome in the Patrick Baumann House of Basketball this important meeting of FIBA Safeguarding Council. We thank HRH Prince Feisal for leadership and members of this independent Council for their commitment, as we take full advantage of their analysis and recommendations”.

The six additional members of the Safeguarding Council include Slovakia's four-time Olympian Danka Bartekova, FIBA Americas President Carol Callan, international basketball star Astou Ndour-Fall, Romanian Basketball Federation President and FIBA Executive Committee Member Carmen Tocala, award-winning journalist Alan Abrahamson and FIBA Chief Operating Officer Patrick Mariller.