ISTANBUL - FIBA Europe President and FIBA Vice-President Turgay Demirel announced at a board meeting of the Turkish Basketball Federation (TBF) on Monday that he will be vacating his role as head of the federation on 30 March, after 23 years.

During his time in the role, Demirel has overseen extraordinary growth of basketball in his country, while subsequently seeing his nation immerge as a world basketball powerhouse.

"It has been a privilege to lead this federation since 1992, and I am immensely proud of the many unprecedented accomplishments of Turkish Basketball that I have been a part of," Demirel said.

"I am excited to continue my work as FIBA Europe President and FIBA Vice President to grow our sport in Europe and around the world."

During his tenure, the TBF has experienced a number of notable achievements, not least the hosting of the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2010 and the FIBA Women's World Championship in 2014, along with numerous FIBA Europe youth tournaments.

Turkish teams have performed with merit on the international stage, with the men claiming silver medals at EuroBasket 2001 and the 2010 World Cup. Meanwhile, the women have gone from playing in the European Championship of the Small Countries Women to winning medals at EuroBasket Women in 2011 and 2013, while making the semi-Finals in their debut appearance at the World Championship.

Turkish domestic leagues have also been transformed into some of the most competitive in Europe, with Galatasaray winning the 2014 EuroLeague Women title, while Turkish men's clubs are consistently making it to the business end of the Euroleague season.

Under Demirel's leadership, a number of programmes have been implemented, beginning at youth level which sees him leave the position with Turkish basketball in the best possible position moving forward.

"For me basketball has always been about more than what happens on the court," Demirel said.

"Transmitting the values of our sport to a new generation of leaders has long been a priority at TBF, and I look forward to seeing the return on our investment in Turkey's youth in the years to come."

FIBA