FIBA Congress, World Championship Knockout Rounds Tip Off

(ATR) International Basketball Federation president Bob Elphinston tells Around the Rings ahead of this weekend’s 19th FIBA World Congress that the state of his game is strong and getting stronger.

"In my opening report, that’s my intention is to obviously reflect on where we were in 2006 and where we are now," he said, referencing the last FIBA Congress in Tokyo.

At the center of his sport’s growth, Elphinston explained, were the 2008 Summer Games.

"We had our best ever Olympics in Beijing," he told ATR.

"It was an incredible success. [The competition] was very high-profile around the world, not just in China but in many, many markets. [Basketball was the] second most-watched sport on TV for the Olympic Games."

A record 160 of FIBA’s 213 total national federations are set to attend the proceedings in Istanbul, which kick off Saturday just hours before elimination play at the FIBA World Championship tips off.

Tops on the agenda at Swissôtel the Bosphorus is the selection of Elphinston’s successor.

Because federation by-laws dictate the presidency must rotate among continents, the race was all but over back in May when the FIBA Europe General Assembly chose longtime French Basketball Federation president Yvan Mainini as its candidate over George Vassilakopoulos of Greece.

As the sole option ontheballot, he’ll need only a simple majority to win the office.

"He’s a very good man," Elphinston said of Mainini. "He has a long experience in basketball, and he’s very passionate about the game."

Winners Stay, Losers Go At World Champs

Lithuania, USA and host country Turkey are the only undefeated teams heading into knockout rounds at the FIBA World Championship, also in Istanbul.

Sixteen of the field’soriginal 24 teams advanced to a single-elimination bracket Thursday, then enjoyed a day of rest Friday. A week of competition follows Saturday’s tip-off with the final game slated for Sept. 12.

Serbia spoiled top-ranked Argentina in an 84-82 thriller Thursday to win its group and earn a first-round matchup against rival Croatia.

Rockets big man Luis Scola scored 32 points on a night when he became Argentina's all-time leading scorer.

Serbia’s Dusko Savanovic rained on Scola’s parade when he hit a three-point dagger with 18 seconds left, snapping a 77-77 tie.

Team USA will play Angola on Monday in its first knockout game. Lurking in its half of the bracket are Lithuania, Brazil and Argentina.

One of the two South American heavyweights won’t live past Tuesday, when they meet in the Round of 16.

Written by Matthew Grayson.