MIES - On Monday FIBA celebrated its 86th anniversary. Indeed, it was on June 18, 1932, that world basketball's governing body - or Fédération Internationale de Basketball Amateur to go by its original name - was founded in Geneva, Switzerland.

To mark the special occasion, President Horacio Muratore sat down with FIBA.basketball to talk at length on a wide range of exciting topics, including the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Qualifiers, the FIBA Women's National Team Competition System, 3x3 and much more.

"AFTER THE FIBA 3x3 WORLD CUP, THE UPCOMING YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES AND FIBA 3x3 WORLD TOUR ARE CENTRAL TO OUR PROCESS OF CONTINUING TO GROW AND PROMOTE THE DISCIPLINE LEADING UP TO ITS OLYMPIC DEBUT."Muratore

The third window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Qualifiers is just days away and marks the midway point of the Road to China 2019. What has the reaction to the FIBA National Team Competitions System & Calendar been like across the regions?
It's been received with a lot of enthusiasm throughout the world. We're extremely proud to have launched this project because it sees the national teams come back home. The objective is to regularly play these home games and help all our stakeholders improve their abilities in organizing and playing these official fixtures. It's why we invest so much. The financial investment of more than €30 million put into the first cycle (2017-2021) of this new system is among the biggest decisions taken in FIBA's history.

Of course, it means the national federations have to prepare with a lot of hard work and some of them need more help than others but they get this assistance from FIBA's Regional Offices, who are at the very heart of the work and development. On behalf of FIBA, I wish to thank them for all their efforts.

I would like to make special mention of FIBA’s Europe region for how it has successfully carried out the Qualifiers. This was not made easy because of the less than ideal circumstances, disgraceful behavior and complications put in its way by Euroleague Commercial Assets (ECA).

Your own experience allows you to view these Qualifiers from the perspective of a national federation and what's to be gained from that position.
Yes, I was the president of Argentina's national federation (CABB) so I personally know the headaches that come with organizing an event, having to think about players' insurance, assuming the responsibility of securing high-level TV production but also covering the costs of referees and dealing with a wide variety of other considerations. Now, under this new system, these issues are taken care of by FIBA. As such, the national federations can focus on the operations that go into hosting these games, as well as promoting them, finding sponsors and selling tickets. The exchanges I've had with the federations during these games have been very positive. They have seen the fruits of their labor. And this is just the beginning.

Our federations get so much from these Qualifiers, namely: 1. having the national team back home, playing in official and meaningful games; 2. welcoming fans to these games; 3. generating profits through ticket sales and sponsorship; 4. offering unique opportunities to up-and-coming young stars of representing their country; 5. Hosting these games in cities where their national team has never been before; 6. building a market for themselves.

"ONE OF OUR MAIN OBJECTIVES IN THE YEARS AHEAD IS TO BETTER SUPPORT, GROW AND PROMOTE THE WOMEN'S GAME AND GIVE IT MORE VISIBILITY SO THAT THE WOMEN'S WORLD CUP CAN ACHIEVE ITS FULL POTENTIAL."Muratore

June is an important month for FIBA with its anniversary but also because the month marks the start of a busy period of national team competitions. The 3x3 season tipped off with the World Cup. What did you take away from the tournament?
The FIBA 3x3 World Cup went very well and was held in an extraordinary place. Manila was a great host especially given the love and following that basketball has in the Philippines. Also, it was perfect to have the competition during this time (June 8-12) before the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires in the autumn (October 6-18) and the FIBA 3x3 World Tour with its Final in Beijing (October 27-28). These are the year's big 3x3 events and they’re central to our process of continuing to grow and promoting 3x3 leading up to its Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 Games.

The season of youth national team competitions is underway. What do you expect from the upcoming FIBA U17 Basketball World Cups?
Both tournaments should be really good - the men's one in Argentina and the women's one in Belarus. We hope to see great competitions. These are world level events and we believe the level of the players is increasing more and more, as is the quality of the game. This is a fantastic age group and it's one where I believe we can already start seeing who will be future stars.

"THE QUALIFIERS (FOR CHINA 2019) HAVE BEEN RECEIVED WITH A LOT OF ENTHUSIASM THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. WE'RE EXTREMELY PROUD TO HAVE LAUNCHED THIS PROJECT BECAUSE IT SEES THE NATIONAL TEAMS COME BACK HOME."Muratore

This past weekend, you presided over the first FIBA Central Board meeting of 2018 and there was great news for women's basketball with the approval of a competition system coming into effect next year and which sets out a road to all of the main competitions in the women's game.
This system will provide better possibilities and enhance the position of women's basketball thanks to regular, year-round national team activity in all regions. I believe the system will meet our expectations. One of our main objectives in the years ahead is to better support, grow and promote the women's game and give it more visibility so that the Women's World Cup can achieve its full potential.

This year's edition of the Women's World Cup is almost upon us.
Yes, in three months' time, women's basketball will celebrate its biggest moment on a beautiful island in Europe - Tenerife. I'm delighted to return to this place as I have great memories of my time there during last year’s FIBA Intercontinental Cup.

Finally, can you share your thoughts on your predecessor and former FIBA President Yvan Mainini, who passed away on May 11.
Talking about a friend passing away is not easy. Yvan Mainini will always remain an important person for me. He was the man I could refer to in my role as president. He was a great leader who headed up important institutions such as the French Basketball Federation (FFBB), one of the biggest national federations we have within FIBA. I got to know him and he became a great confident, someone I could turn to for advice.

Yvan Mainini and Horacio Muratore

He helped me a lot on my journey to become FIBA President. He was nominated and elected FIBA President in 2010 in Istanbul, while I became Vice-President. Yvan made sure I participated little by little in the decisions. He also made me discover what the job called for as we defined strategic pillars along with (FIBA Secretary General) Patrick (Baumann). I always felt I was part of the team because he made sure I participated in everything. When I was elected FIBA President in Seville in 2014, all of the objectives defined in Istanbul four years earlier were known to me, thanks to Yvan.

Yvan left a legacy behind him. With his passing, I not only lost a great inspirational leader, but also a very good friend.

FIBA