SUVA (Fiji) - FIBA has officially awarded the hosting rights of the 2021 FIBA Melanesia Cup to Fiji.

Basketball Fiji Chief Operating Officer Laisiasa Puamau expressed his delight in receiving the news.

"We hosted the 2014 and 2016 FIBA U18 Oceania Championship and we are excited to have the Men's and Women's Melanesia Cup in 2021. It's a good opportunity for our supporters to watch the team in our home court," shared Puamau.

Puamau confirmed that the Vodafone Arena in Suva will be the venue of the competition and excitedly shared that the arena has undergone renovations for improvement.

"With a newly renovated arena in Suva from a 2-court facility to 3 courts and a larger seating capacity we are now targeting to host international competitions in Fiji every two years," he said.

The 2021 FIBA Melanesia Cup is the qualifier to the 2023 Pacific Games, with the latter serving as the official qualifier to the FIBA Asia Cup Pre-Qualifiers.

The top 2 teams from the FIBA Melanesia Cup will earn automatic qualification into the 2023 Pacific Games. The Solomon Islands, as hosts of the 2023 Pacific Games, may earn a hosting qualification spot subject to a decision by FIBA based on the performance of the National Federation. 

FIBA Oceania Executive Director David Crocker congratulated Basketball Fiji on winning the bid and expressed his confidence in the Federation's capabilities to organize the event."

"Congratulations to Fiji in winning the bid, they have been one of the powerhouse teams in the Pacific in both the Men's and Women's divisions and I am sure the home crowd will be behind them in the Mela Cup," Crocker said.

"We are excited to see the progress of the Melanesian countries after the first iteration of the 2017 Mela Cup," he added.

Based on their previous experience, Puamau is aware of the challenges of hosting and promised to improve on their performance as hosts.

"From past experiences, the next critical steps will be in planning, marketing, and confirming a solid date where we can host both a successful and safe event in partnership with Government and FIBA," he said.

The tentative date of the tournament will be held in May 2021, with BF confirming the official event date by November 2020.

The 2017 FIBA Melanesia Cup witnessed a clean sweep of championships by hosts Papua New Guinea taking home the inaugural Men's and Women's crown of the competition.

FIBA