JOHANNESBURG (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 African Qualifiers) - As a former Senegal international turned NBA Vice President and Managing Director for Africa, Amadou Gallo Fall is a household name in African and world basketball.

In a recent chat, he paid tribute to FIBA for always working hard to make the game more attractive, especially with the introduction of the new competition system for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Qualifiers that gives fans the opportunity to see their teams in action on home court.

The third window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Qualifiers tips off this week with 16 African countries jostling for the five slots on offer. How do these games help African basketball?
It's always great to see the World Cup Qualifiers in Africa and the passion that teams approach the competition with across the continent. The finalists of the previous FIBA AfroBasket, Tunisia and Nigeria, are leading their respective groups[A & B] with Senegal and Angola topping the remaining two groups. The competition is still open though and basketball fans should be treated to see some great games. There is a lot of talent in Africa and our sport is growing. This year we will be hosting the third NBA Africa Game in four years and I look forward to finding out which teams will represent our Africa region in the FIBA Basketball World Cup next year.

What are your thoughts on FIBA's competition system that means home fans now get an opportunity to see their national teams play official games at regular intervals?
That's fantastic for our fans and, over time, we will all be much more appreciative of the new format. It is great to see the basketball tournaments around Africa set at specific windows, when fans' attention is focused on the support of their national teams with different group competitions being held in different countries. We have such great basketball traditions in Africa and we continue building our basketball history. Tournaments like these Qualifiers contribute to our efforts of growing the game of basketball in Africa.

"I LOOK FORWARD TO FINDING OUT WHICH TEAMS WILL REPRESENT OUR AFRICA REGION IN THE FIBA BASKETBALL WORLD CUP NEXT YEAR."Fall

What do you see as the advantages of having top level players such as those in the NBA and top European leagues featuring for their respective national teams?
As a team, you always want to have your best players available to represent your country. Whether in the NBA or other competitive leagues, if the players are available, it benefits the team and allows the best to represent their country. It also carries a special meaning to the players selected to represent their nation. For instance, Gorgui Dieng for Senegal is determined to make an impact on the game of basketball in his country. It is great to see such drive and interest in these national team competitions from our players.

Looking back on your own playing days, would it have been beneficial for this type of system to have been introduced earlier?
I would like to applaud FIBA for constantly improving the level of competition and the recent changes to the tournament are part of those efforts. The new FIBA Basketball World Cup tournament is a great platform for any country and players to showcase their talents on the international stage and in front of home fans. I wish the best of luck to all the teams participating in the tournament.

FIBA