BAMAKO (Mali) - Mali Basketball Federation will become the first National Federation in Africa to transform its sporting venues into FIBA Connected Stadiums. FIBA Connected Stadium provides automated video production for live streaming purposes and is currently being used by more than 20 leagues across the globe, with an additional 30 leagues planned to be installed in the near future.

FIBA Connected Stadium is a joint initiative between FIBA and Synergy Sports, formerly known as Atrium Sports, designed to support National Federation members and leagues by providing access to innovative technology to help live stream games, enhance the fan experience with graphic overlays and commentary, attract new audiences, better utilize their content and therefore maximize their value to their members.

Synergy Sports will work with the Mali Basketball Federation to cover both the men's and women's basketball leagues and distribute its digital media rights. Being the first African nation to partner with Synergy Sports in installing the equipment and software behind the FIBA Connected Stadium is just the latest achievement for Malian basketball. 

Basketball is among Mali's most popular sports, with the national team currently ranked 9th among African men's teams, 5th in women's teams, and 1st in both the boys and girls African rankings. Demonstrating the exciting young talent coming through the ranks, Mali recently won the FIBA U18 African Championship 2020 in Egypt last month and was second in the FIBA U18 Women’s African Championship 2020. 

Anibal Manave, FIBA Africa President, said: "This is a great opportunity for Mali Basketball to promote the sport within their country and also across Africa. Using FIBA Connected Stadium will no doubt bring fans closer to the game and enable the entire basketball community to follow and be more engaged in their national leagues."    

Discussing the partnership, Synergy Sports CEO Mark Silver said: "Mali Basketball Federation becoming the first African nation to have FIBA Connected Stadiums is a real demonstration of our commitment to provide immersive sports experiences for fans, coaches, players and everyone involved in sports around the world. With a new season approaching in January, it's great timing for Malian basketball to have the tools to reach and engage with more fans."

The President of the Mali Basketball Federation, Harouna Maiga, expressed his happiness with the partnership, explaining that, "This partnership is in line with our organization’s policy of promotion and development of national basketball, which we launched with our new federation team 3 years ago. Our goal is to promote national competitions and ensure that they shine even beyond our borders."

FIBA