FIBA World Cup 2023 hosts decision and review of Qualifiers headline Central Board meeting

FIBA's Central Board met for the third and final time in 2017 on Saturday at the House of Basketball.

Here are the key decisions and updates from the meeting.

Philippines/Japan/Indonesia to host FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023
The Central Board unanimously voted for Philippines/Japan/Indonesia to stage the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2023. It will be the first time in the competition's history that it is hosted by more than one country.

The Central Board decided that Argentina/Uruguay will have the privileged opportunity to adapt their candidature for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 and present it to the Central Board in June 2018.

FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Qualifiers
The Road to China 2019 officially tipped off when 72 national teams worldwide combined to play 76 games during the November 2017 window. The Central Board expressed its satisfaction with the successful launch of the first-ever FIBA Basketball World Cup Qualifiers, arguably sport's biggest uniquely centrally managed worldwide competition. This success came thanks to the great collaboration between National Federations, FIBA's Regional Offices and FIBA. The total attendance of the games surpassed 300,000 spectators with more than half of the arenas reaching capacity of 80% or more, and 312 million people were reached via digital channels.

The Central Board was updated on the global investment of more than €30 million that FIBA is pouring into National Federations for the first cycle (2017-2021) and on improvements that need to be implemented in time for the second window in February 2018.

The Board acknowledged that, despite Euroleague Commercial Assets (ECA)'s written confirmation to the European Commission that it will not prevent or limit in any way the release of players to national teams, numerous players were put in the impossible position of choosing between club or country because of the EuroLeague's calendar, a situation which leading European National Federations have already condemned.

Having received information that certain clubs put pressure on their players not to join their national team in November, the Central Board confirmed that FIBA will not be in a position to discuss a broader agreement with ECA before ECA and the 16 Euroleague clubs remove all obstacles (contractual or other) for the release of players to their national teams.

Women's basketball
The Central Board received and approved a proposal on the new women's calendar. Technical details need to be reviewed by the Executive Committee with a view for it to be implemented after the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

3x3

The Central Board was brought up to speed on the successful activities of FIBA's 3x3 discipline in 2017, including it becoming a part of the Olympic Basketball Program effective as of the 2020 Games. Fruitful discussions took place regarding the responsibility of National Federations in growing the discipline and the important role of promoters.

Sheikh Al Thani appointed new International Basketball Foundation President
The Central Board was informed that the International Basketball Foundation (IBF)'s Board held a meeting on Saturday to approve the appointment of Sheikh Ali Al Thani from Qatar as its new President.

Sheikh Ali Al Thani succeeds Yvan Mainini, the IBF's President from 2014 until now, who has had to retire because of health reasons. As a result, Manfred Ströher, the treasurer of the Foundation, has been appointed its Vice-President, while Asterios Zois becomes the new member from Europe.

National Federations
The Central Board confirmed the creation of a task force in Peru, where the validity of the elections at the country's basketball governing body have been the subject of dispute for a prolonged period of time.

FIBA has also decided to intervene in Venezuela, where a state court purports to impose an electoral process created by government authorities that does not correspond to the statutes of the National Federation.