INTERNATIONAL BASKETBALL FEDERATION

The 'International Basketball Federation' (French: ''Fédération Internationale de Basketball''), more commonly known by the French acronym 'FIBA' (pronounced ), is an association of national organizations which governs international competition in basketball. Originally known as the ''Fédération Internationale de Basketball 'Amateur''' (hence FIBA), in 1989 it dropped the ''Amateur'' from its official name but retained the initialism, because of the first two letters of the word '''ba'sketball''.
The FIBA defines the international rules of basketball, specifies the equipment and facilities required, regulates the transfer of athletes across countries, and controls the appointment of international referees. 213 national federations are now members, organized since 1989 into five zones or "commissions": Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania.

Contents

The History on FIBA

Tournaments

National teams

Clubs

FIBA World Rankings

External links

References

The History on FIBA

The association was founded in Geneva in 1932, two years after the sport was officially recognized by the IOC. Its original name was '''Fédération Internationale de Basketball Amateur'''. Eight nations were founding members: Argentina, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Romania, and Switzerland. During the 1936 Summer Olympics held in Berlin, the Federation named James Naismith (1861-1939), the founder of basketball, as its Honorary President.
FIBA has organized a World Championship for men since 1950 and a World Championship for Women since 1953. Both events are now held every four years, alternating with the Olympics.
In 1989, FIBA opened the door to Olympic participation by professionals such as players from the NBA in the United States. At this point, the ''Fédération Internationale de Basketball Amateur'' became the ''Fédération Internationale de Basketball'', but retained ''FIBA'' as an abbreviation.
The Federation headquarters moved to Munich in 1956, then returned to Geneva in 2002.
Patrick Baumann is the Secretary General of FIBA.
In 1991 it founded FIBA Hall of Fame, the first induction ceremony will be held on September 12, 2007 during EuroBasket 2007.

Tournaments

Current champions:

National teams

Tournament	Men's	Women's	U-21 Men's	U-21 Women's	U-19 Men's	U-19 Women's
'Olympics'			N/A
'World Championships'
Commission	Men's	Women's	U-20 Men's	U-20 Women's	U-18 Men's	U-18 Women's
'FIBA Africa'
'FIBA Americas'			N/A
'FIBA Asia'			N/A		N/A
'FIBA Europe'
'FIBA Oceania'		N/A		N/A	N/A	N/A

Clubs

Tournament	Men's	Women's
'NBA'	San Antonio Spurs	Detroit Shock
'Euroleague'	Panathinaikos	Spartak Moscow Region
'ULEB Cup'	Real Madrid	N/A
'Asian Champions Cup'	Saba Battery	N/A
'Liga Sudamericana'	Libertad de Sunchales	N/A
'Africa Cup of Clubs'	N/A	N/A

FIBA World Rankings

★ #1 men's team:

★ #1 women's team:

★ #1 combined ranking:

External links

★ FIBA official site

★ InterBasket - International Basketball News and Forum, covering Euroleague, NBA and more...

★ History of amateur and professional basketball in Canada at Frozen Hoops

★ ThePlayersForum.com - Site dedicated to helping sports players achieve their dream of playing internationally

★ TalkBasket - Basketball news and discussions

★ MediaZone - Official Broadband Provider site

References