FIBA

The International Basketball Federation (FIBA /ˈfiːbə/ FEE-bə; French: Fédération Internationale de Basketball) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. Originally known as the Fédération Internationale de Basketball Amateur (hence FIBA), in 1989 it dropped the word amateur from its name but retained the acronym; the "BA" now represents the first two letters of basketball.

International Basketball Federation (FIBA)

Fédération Internationale de Basketball
Abbreviation	FIBA
Motto	We Are Basketball
Predecessor	International Amateur Handball Federation
Formation	18 June 1932
Founded at	Geneva, Switzerland
Type	Sports federation
Location	Mies, Switzerland
Region served	Worldwide
Membership	213 national federations
Official languages	English, French[1]
President	Hamane Niang
Secretary General	Andreas Zagklis[2]
Key people	Borislav Stanković George Vassilakopoulos Manfred Ströher
Website	www.fiba.basketball

FIBA defines the rules of basketball, specifies the equipment and facilities required, organises international competitions, regulates the transfer of athletes across countries, and controls the appointment of international referees. A total of 213 national federations are now members, organized since 1989 into five zones: Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania.

FIBA organizes both the men's and women's FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament and the Summer Olympics Basketball Tournament, which are sanctioned by the IOC.[3] The FIBA Basketball World Cup is a world tournament for men's national teams held every four years. Teams compete for the Naismith Trophy, named in honor of basketball's American-Canadian creator James Naismith. The tournament structure is similar but not identical to that of the FIFA World Cup in football; these tournaments occurred in the same year from 1970 through 2014, but starting in 2019, the Basketball World Cup will move to the year following the FIFA World Cup. A parallel event for women's teams, the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup, is also held quadrennially; from 1986 through 2014, it was held in the same year as the men's event but in a different country. The women's tournament will continue to be held in the same year as the FIFA World Cup.

In 2009, FIBA announced three new tournaments: two 12-team Under-17 World Cups (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. However, the FIBA World Club Championship did not materialize. In its place, FIBA instead relaunched its original world club championship for men, the FIBA Intercontinental Cup, in 2013.

The newest global FIBA tournaments for national teams are in the three-player half-court variation, 3x3. The FIBA 3x3 Under-18 World Cup was inaugurated in 2011, and the FIBA 3x3 World Cup for senior teams followed a year later. All events initially included separate tournaments for men's, women's, and mixed teams, but mixed championships are no longer contested. The U-18 cups, which are held annually, feature 32 teams in each individual tournament. The senior cups have 24 teams in each individual tournament, and are held in even-numbered years.