MIES, Switzerland - FIBA's Central Board met for the first time in 2018 this past weekend (June 16-17) at the House of Basketball.

The meeting coincided with the fourth edition of the FIBA Open - a 3x3 festival staged annually outside the headquarters of world basketball's governing body - and meant that the board members got the opportunity to watch some exciting games as well as interact with the participants.

Here are the main takeaways from the two-day meeting.

FIBA Women's National Team Competition System as of 2019

The Central Board approved the finalized version of the system that comes into effect in November 2019. Click here to find out more.

FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Qualifiers

The Central Board received a detailed presentation on the success of the first two windows, including attendance records being set - with more than 300,000 spectators worldwide attending the games in each window - and the high interest of fans being reflected in the more than 600 million people who were reached through digital channels.

The third window of the Qualifiers is set to take place from June 25-July 3 and will feature organizational improvements in response to feedback provided by the national federations. By the end of the window, all 60 of the teams that will play in the Second Round will be known. Already 22 of these are confirmed. For the first time, all 80 teams will take to the court in the same window, with all four groups of the African Qualifiers in action simultaneously.

FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019

Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) President and FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Ambassador Yao Ming gave a presentation to the Central Board to bring them up to speed on the ongoing preparations for next year's much-awaited competition.

Among other things, he shared with the Board how fans from around the world voted for Son of Dreams to be the Official Mascot of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019. This was made official on April 18 - 500 days before the first-ever 32-team edition of FIBA's flagship competition tips off on August 31, 2019 - when Son of Dreams was unveiled during a ceremony at the Wukesong Indoor Stadium in China's capital of Beijing.

FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2018

Spanish Basketball Federation (FEB) President Jorge Garbajosa provided an update on the buildup - which is quickly gathering pace - for the biggest competition in the women's game. Tickets went on sale at the end of May and more significant milestones lay ahead, including: the official ball being unveiled; a second wave of tickets going on sale at the end of the month and the competition's mascot being unveiled in July.

Youth events

The Central Board got confirmation that everything is ready in the leadup to the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cups 2018 which are now just around the corner. Thirty-two teams - 16 men and 16 women - will be in action in Rosario and Santa Fe, Argentina (June 30-July 8) and Minsk, Belarus (July 22-30) respectively. They will compete for the right to be crowned world champions and celebrate by hoisting brand new trophies.

National Federations

Brazil: The Central Board announced its decision to permanently lift the suspension on Brazil's Basketball Confederation (CBB), recognizing the positive steps taken by the new CBB management. The Central Board also agreed for FIBA to provide assistance to CBB with regards to the main activity areas, where improvement and compliance are necessary.
Venezuela: The Central Board decided to grant provisional recognition to the new board of the Venezuela Basketball Federation (FVB) that was elected on April 14. Over a period of 12 months, it will be required to comply with certain conditions issued by FIBA in accordance with the FIBA General Statutes and Internal Regulations.

Official Basketball Rules

The Central Board gave the green light for a wide range of changes to be made to the Official Basketball Rules, effective as of October 1, 2018. Click here to find out more.

FIBA Secretary General Baumann's contract extended until 2031

The Central Board unanimously agreed to extend the contract of Secretary General Patrick Baumann until 2031. Click here to find out more.

Honoring former FIBA President Mainini

Before the meeting started in earnest on Saturday morning, the Central Board members paid tribute to FIBA's former President, the late Yvan Mainini, who passed away on May 11.

In other matters, the Central Board approved the consolidated financial statements for 2017 and was presented the budget for 2018.

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About FIBA
FIBA (fiba.basketball) - the world governing body for basketball - is an independent association formed by 213 National Basketball Federations throughout the world. It is recognised as the sole competent authority in basketball by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

For further information about FIBA, visit fiba.basketball or follow FIBA on facebook.com/fiba, twitter.com/fiba, instagram.com/fiba and youtube.com/fiba.