MADRID (Spain) - The sky's the limit for the exciting new basketball court which premiered at the FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup 2023 and this was highlighted during an innovation demo presentation in Madrid.

In the wake of last Friday's historic and successful unveiling for the Quarter-Finals of the competition and the five star feedback received from those playing and watching, attention turned towards how the state of the art surface can further elevate both basketball and fan engagement moving forward.  This is linked strongly to the strategic priority to 'Enlarge the FIBA Family' by endorsing and encouraging innovation in basketball.

While rigorously tested by the FIBA Equipment and Venue Centre prior to being launched, it was the CEO of ASB GlassFloor, Christof Babinsky who showed the assembled audience some of the incredible potential it has. One of the main areas in terms of unlocking ideas and opportunities was the role video could play.

CEO of ASB GlassFloor Christof Babinsky

The control system that was used is the new GlassCourt OS. This innovative solution seamlessly combines game mode, marketing and entertainment activations, as well as coaching applications. The used tracking software were provided by Black Trax.

With many delegates having already witnessed the breathtaking animations and designs implemented, Go4Gold, the creative agency behind them, demonstrated more innovative possibilities around entertainment and on-court activation options.

"THERE'S NOT MANY TIMES THAT AN ORGANIZATION 91 YEARS OLD CAN DO A DEMO LIKE THAT ON INNOVATION." - FIBA Secretary General, Andreas Zagklis

Meanwhile in the wake of the recent agreement being reached between eFIBA, 2K, and the NBA 2K League which provided a unique platform for organizing international events for National Federations, as well as the esports and gaming communities, the audience had the chance to experience an exhibition game with the presence of some players of the Spanish National Team.

The delegates present were also treated to a demonstration of basketball skills on the court, including a shooting contest involving a number of former players and personalities.

"IT'S THE FUTURE... WATCHING IT LIVE IS REALLY COOL BUT IT'S EVEN BETTER ON TV." - Spanish legend, Amaya Valdemoro

Soon to be FIBA Hall of Fame member Amaya Valdemoro and another former Spanish national team star in FIBA's Betty Cebrian were both on hand to watch the demonstration.

"It's the future and they will continue to upgrade it for sure to make it even better. It's a luxury and in our time, it would have been unthinkable to play on this floor," said Valdemoro.

"The fan experience will be even greater and it can offer a wide variety of entertainment. Watching it live is really cool, but it's even better on TV."

Cebrian added: "This court puts basketball in a different era. I am fascinated with its a new dimension with countless options. I am really proud that FIBA has thought of this scenario and chosen a women's tournament to unveil the court.

"I know people who decided to come to the games attracted by the innovation of the floor and have discovered that these young girls can play pretty well and that’s very important.

"I could have never imagined playing on a court like this, but I would have really loved it. I have spoken with many players and the feedback is great," concluded Cebrian.

FIBA