FIBA - Americas celebrates its 35 year anniversary

SAN JUAN - FIBA Americas, the continental organisation that regulates basketball in the Americas, has celebrated its 35-year anniversary.
The institution was created on 11th October 1975 in Mexico City in accordance with article 43 of the general by-laws of the FIBA.

The idea behind setting up the confederation began with  a series of conversations between Mr. William Jones, Secretary General of FIBA and Mr José Claudio Dos Reis, who headed Brazilian basketball. In these exchanges, over the course of 1972 and 1973, Dos Reis relayed to Jones the idea by some delegates of the national federations of the South American area, to create a regional body for the Americas, which would include the setting up of a permanent office.

On 11th July 1974, during the seventh FIBA World Championship, the north, center and south American delegations met for the first time, at the "Granada" room of the Helio Isla hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico to discuss the creation of a 'Pan American' basketball confederation. Over the following year, a number of meetings would seek to establish the general principle and statutes ahead of the founding General Assembly.

On Saturday 11th October 11 1975, at 10:00am, in the auditory of the Olympic Mexican sport center, the delegates of the national federations of basketball of the three Americas met and carried out the Inaugural General Assembly of the Pan American basketball confederation. FIBA Americas was born.
 
"I am very proud to be the President after many important people gave a lot for this institution," said Horacio Muratore, President of FIBA Americas and Vice-President of FIBA.
 
"We are in an optimum moment; we have great prestige in America. We have to thank all the secretaries, presidents and members of the central board that have helped and given prestige to this institution."

Commenting on the anniversary, FIBA Secretary General and IOC Member Patrick Baumann said: "Over the past 35 years FIBA Americas has worked wonders in developing the game in key regions for basketball. Today we have an extremely strong zone and all the people involved over the past four decades deserve much credit for the current popularity and strength of basketball in the Americas."
 
A total of 44 National Federations are members of FIBA Americas and are divided in the North Zone, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCENCABA) and South America (ABASU).

FIBA Americas is based in San Juan, Puerto Rico.


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