MIES, Switzerland - FIBA's Central Board met for the second and final time in 2018 on Friday-Saturday, December 7-8.

Here are the key decisions, updates and main takeaways from the meeting.

Andreas Zagklis unanimously appointed Secretary General

The Central Board unanimously agreed to appoint Andreas Zagklis as new FIBA Secretary General, filling the role that had been vacant since the tragic death of Patrick Baumann on October 13 in Buenos Aires.

House of Basketball to honor Patrick Baumann

Central Board member Richard Carríon proposed that FIBA honor the late Patrick Baumann by having the FIBA headquarters carry his name. FIBA President Horacio Muratore praised the idea and the rest of the Board expressed its full support.

China 2019 preparations reach next level

The Board was brought up to speed on the latest promotional activities and milestones on the Road to China 2019, including:

• the unveiling of Tissot Countdown Clocks in all eight host cities to mark one year to go to the start of the competition;
• revealing former NBA and USA national team superstar Kobe Bryant as a FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 global ambassador.

Looking ahead, the next key events include the launch of ticket sales, the official draw and the Trophy Tour.

Qualifiers continue to excite fans across the globe, 14 spots up for grabs in last window

The Board was given an update on the continuing success of the Qualifiers for the first-ever 32-team edition of FIBA's flagship competition. In September, during the fourth window, the first six teams to qualify to the World Cup - and join hosts China - were known before a further 11 national sides booked their tickets in the fifth window in late November-early December. This means 14 places are to be determined in the sixth and final one, taking place in February 2019.

Women's World Cup a resounding success on and off the court

The Board received a presentation on the highly-successful FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2018, which took place in Tenerife, the biggest of Spain's Canary Islands, from September 22-30. The top women's basketball competition was deemed a huge success and a source of tremendous pride by FIBA President Horacio Muratore. It also achieved a record digital interaction as fans engaged at levels previously never seen for a women's event.

FIBA 3x3 experiences best and busiest season in 2018

The Board looked back on the 2018 season of FIBA 3x3. Some of the highlights included:

• An increase in the number of official events from 38 to 63;
• Qualification to the FIBA 3x3 World Tour taking place in an unprecedented 50 countries;
• Presence of the urban discipline on social media surpassed expectations over the last 12 months, with more than 100 million views.

FIBA Oceania marks 50-year anniversary

On October 20, FIBA Oceania celebrated its 50th anniversary in Sydney, Australia, with the regional office’s founder and Honorary President Al Ramsay present.

During the Central Board meeting, FIBA Oceania President Burton Shipley presented a commemorative medal of the special occasion to FIBA President Muratore and Secretary General Zagklis.

National federations reap rewards from FIBA's drive to support and develop them

The Board was informed of the latest activities related to the support and development of FIBA's national federations. To date, 181 countries have been visited, while workshops in all of FIBA's regions as well as coaching and officiating clinics have been successfully organized. Additionally, manuals have been produced and distributed worldwide.

It was also brought to the Board's attention that the National Federation Development Program was launched in three targeted national federations in the Americas (Bahamas, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico) in November, after the same had been done earlier in the year in all targeted countries in Africa. Further targeted national federations will be visited in early 2019 to launch the program.

FIBA Foundation fully committed to its "Basketball for Good" projects and Mini Basketball

The Board heard a report by the International Basketball Foundation (IBF), which is investing CHF 1 million a year - half of it as investment in cash and the other half as value in kind (i.e. provision of equipment) - in different Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects. These have taken place in: the Antilles, Madagascar, Namibia, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Southern Africa, South East Asia, South Sudan and Western Africa.

A detailed presentation was given on the foundation's latest project, Mini Basketball. In May, the IBF launched an initiative to give new momentum to the movement for kids between the ages of 5 and 12 with activities taking place in recent months in Australia, Portugal and Morocco and upcoming ones scheduled in Sri Lanka and Mexico.

In other matters, The Central Board:

• was presented status updates on preparations for the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cups 2019 which will take place in Greece (Men) and Thailand (Women);
• was presented the budget for 2019 as approved by FIBA's Executive Committee during its own meeting on Friday morning;
• approved amendments made in the internal regulations.

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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).

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