Shipley awarded the Order of Merit for services to Basketball
GOLD COAST (Australia) - FIBA Oceania President Burton Shipley has been named Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for services to basketball.
GOLD COAST (Australia) - FIBA Oceania President Burton Shipley has been named Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for services to basketball.
Shipley serves as FIBA's Vice President and member of the FIBA Executive Committee and FIBA Central Board.
FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis commended Shipley for his outstanding effort and congratulated him on being honored with the ONZM.
"FIBA is proud that the efforts of Mr. Shipley have been recognized by the Order of Merit. On behalf of the President and the entire Central Board, we congratulate Burton on this achievement and will continue to work together in developing and promoting the sport of basketball in Oceania and the rest of the world," stated Zagklis.
Shipley graciously accepted the honor and gave credit to his basketball family for the recognition.
"I am deeply honored to receive this award. I share this with the FIBA family and the basketball stakeholders in Oceania; together we have pushed the game forward and will continue to do so in the coming years," Shipley shared.
"We have big plans moving forward and this award will inspire us to continue our dedication and determination to develop basketball in Oceania," he added.
Shipley assumed the position of FIBA Oceania President in 2014, succeeding FIBA Honorary President Bob Elphinston, and was re-elected as president of the 2019-2023 cycle during the 2019 FIBA Oceania Congress.
He started his basketball career with the Canterbury Rams from 1969 to 1974 as part of teams that won National Club and Provincial Championships. Shipley returned to basketball to take on administrative duties when he was requested to serve as the Chair of the National Basketball League in New Zealand from 1999 to 2004.
The 67-year old served as a member of the Basketball New Zealand Board from 2005 to 2010. He succeeded former FIBA Oceania President Bob Elphinston in 2014.
Shipley also chaired the Coordination Commission of FIBA's biggest competition, the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 held in China. The quadrennial event welcomed over 800,000 spectators with more than 3 billion global television reach across 190 territories.
The New Year Honours, awarded annually on New Year's Day, is part of the British honours system, marked by naming new members of orders of chivalry and recipients of other official honours.
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