What is the FIBA?
August 23, 2010 by tomselwick09
On June 18, 1932, in Geneva, Switzerland the first international federation concerned with just basketball was formed. The International Basketball Federation was made to govern the sports international playing of the game.
Then, only three years later on February 28, 1935, the FIBB was officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) helping make it possible for men's basketball to become part of the 1936 Summer Olympic Games in Berlin.
The first international body to have claimed jurisdiction over the world concerning basketball was the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF), which formed a special commission in 1926 to govern all ball games played with the hands, including sports such as field-handball, court-handball, volleyball and basketball.
Two years later during the Games of the IXth Olympiad held in Amsterdam, Netherlands, the IAAF invited representatives from many national associations to consider forming an independent body for governing all ball games played with hands. Representatives from 10 countries met on August 4, 1928 in Amsterdam and decided to form the International Amateur Handball Federation (IAHF).
The IAHF Technical Commission for Basketball was created to direct and control the game of basketball, but it didn't ever meet. Six years after being formed, the IAHF Technical Commission for b-ball was dissolved and on September 1, 1934 the IAHF renounced its control over international b-ball to the International Basketball Federation (FIBB).
After several unsuccessful attempts failed to establish an independent international federation only for basketball, the first International Basketball Conference was held June 18, 1932. At this conference, FIBB was formed with eight national associations as the original founders -- Argentina, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Romania and Switzerland.
As the popularity of basketball on an international level grew, so did the number of FIBB's member nations - by 1934, Austria, Belgium, Egypt, Estonia, France, Germany, Poland, Spain and the United States had joined, raising FIBB's membership number to 17 nations. By the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, FIBB's membership had expanded to include 32 nations, 23 of which sent basketball teams to that first Olympic basketball competition.
While FIBA's membership and its international rules have changed a lot over the years, perhaps the biggest change within FIBA occurred in Munich, West Germany on April 8, 1989. That day, at a groundbreaking FIBA World Congress, FIBA's membership voted 56-13 in favor of open competition, eliminating the barrier between amateur and professional and making it possible for all players to compete in FIBA competitions, including NBA Players.
Consequently, in Barcelona, Spain, at the 1992 Summer Olympic Games, the United States assembled a men's Olympic team of extraordinary abilities. Nicknamed the "Dream Team," the USA Olympic team consisted of 11 NBA players and one collegian.
The U.S. squad not only grabbed the world's attention, but the Olympic gold medal as well. This same team was inducted into the basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts in 2010 as one of the best teams ever put together.
The abbreviation FIBA was originally derived from the French name Federation Internationale de Basketball Amateur. The word "Amateur" was dropped in 1989 after the ruling that the distinction between amateurs and professionals was eliminated, but the "A" in FIBA was left and the acronym FIBA is now recognized as standing for International Basketball Federation.
The FIBB headquarters were moved to Munich in 1956, then returned to Geneva, Switzerland in 2002. In 2002, Patrick Baumann was named as the FIBA Secretary General.
The growth of this international sport has continued and in 2008 FIBA boasted of 213 member nations. Every 4 years, between Summer Olympic Games, the FIBA holds the World Championships, allowing the top 24 international teams to compete for the world title.
The winner of the last World Championship in 2006 was the country of Spain. Starting on August 28, 2010, the next championship will be held to see if someone can take the title from Spain.
The FIBA is divided into zones, and USA Basketball is a member of the FIBA Americas Zone, formerly known as the Confederation of Pan American Basketball Associations (COPABA). As the zone gets more competitive, many countries have developed advanced basketball teams and leagues.
FIBA has made such a huge difference in basketball around the world. Although it has been established in the United States for over a century, it is relatively new in many countries.
But as the world has discovered this exciting sport, they have joined the international leagues and now compete regularly. It has helped bring much peace and accomplishment to the world.
