TUR - Taking a wild card route to Turkey

ISTANBUL (2010 FIBA World Championship) - The debate about which four teams should receive wild cards for the 2010 FIBA World Championship raged since the end of the EuroBasket in Poland.

The selections will be made this weekend.

Fourteen federations that had hoped their national teams would qualify directly for Turkey but failed expressed interest in receiving wild cards to the 2010 event in Turkey.

Eight of those – Cameroon, Nigeria, Korea, Lebanon, Germany, Great Britain, Lithuania and Russia – still have a chance at a wild card.

On Saturday, FIBA Secretary General Patrick Baumann will make his recommendations to the FIBA Central Board, which will then decide.

A maximum of three federations from one zone can receive wild cards.

In Japan three years ago, when the tournament was expanded to 24 teams and wild cards were introduced, those receiving them were FIBA Europe member federations Turkey, Italy, Serbia and Montenegro, as well as Puerto Rico from the FIBA Americas.

There is various criteria that FIBA take on board when considering which countries are selected.

First of all, teams must have participated in their respective zone qualifying competitions (2008/2009).

Secretary General Baumann and the Central Board will reflect on sporting, economic and governance aspects of the countries.

Wild-card hopefuls must also pay a late registration fee prior to the Central Board decision, with the monies collected to be used for the promotion of basketball through FIBA’s International Basketball Foundation.

When considering the sporting aspect, FIBA will look at the popularity of basketball in the country and the quality and sporting results of its national teams.

Economic aspects relate to the involvement of the local television and/or competitions in domestic and international basketball, the importance of the country to FIBA's marketing and television partners and the importance of the country to the organizers of the FIBA World Championship.

Last but not least are the aspects of governance, which relate to compliance with the internal regulations and general statutes of FIBA, the quality of the work of the national federation and the governmental support to the national federation.

With all of that in mind, it is easy to see why the FIBA Central Board will have difficult decisions to make as some countries may be particularly strong in some areas and perhaps less so in others.

The FIBA wild cards have created a lot of excitement ahead of the Central Board meeting in Istanbul and one guarantee that basketball’s world governing body can make is that the four countries fortunate to receive the last remaining tickets to Turkey 2010 will enhance the quality of the event.

FIBA