FIBA - House of Basketball to be unveiled on FIBA's 81st birthday

MIES - FIBA, the International Basketball Federation, on Tuesday will hold the Inauguration Ceremony to officially unveil its new headquarters, the House of Basketball, on the outskirts of Geneva.

The special event takes place on the day (18 June) of FIBA's 81st birthday and will be attended by more than 400 people.

Among the distinguished guests in attendance will be: Mr Ueli Maurer, President of the Swiss Confederation; Dr Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC); Mr Philippe Leuba, State Councillor for the Canton of Vaud; Mr Pierre-Alain Schmidt, Mayor of Mies.

They will join FIBA Secretary General and International Olympic Committee (IOC) Member Patrick Baumann, FIBA President Yvan Mainini and FIBA Secretary General Emeritus Borislav Stankovic.

Representatives of FIBA's member national federations, as well as the inductees making up the 2013 Class of the FIBA Hall of Fame, were all invited for this memorable occasion.

FIBA moved into the House of Basketball on 4 April 2013. The building is on an 8,500 square metre plot of land on the shores of Lake Geneva, with a view of the Alps.

The state-of-the-art facility comes with a complete floor for FIBA's administrative staff, a conference centre and an exhibition area that includes the FIBA Hall of Fame, as well as a library with more than 6,000 basketball books. It also features underground parking and extensive storage.

The building is shaped like a hand, one of the key elements of FIBA's visual identity and one of the main body parts used to play basketball. It also incorporates a steel structure that is reminiscent of the woven basketball net.

The House of Basketball is built to respect the environment. It is signed up to meet the highest standards of sustainability as outlined by the Swiss label Minergie.

Following Tuesday's Inauguration Ceremony, Wednesday (19 June) will see the Induction Ceremony of the 2013 class of FIBA Hall of Fame.

FIBA