FIBA Celebrates 85th Anniversary

FIBA, the International Basketball Federation, turns 85 today.

It was on June 18 1932 that the Fédération Internationale de Basketball Amateur (FIBA) came into being, consisting of eight founding members - Argentina, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Romania and Switzerland. Together they formed the first fully independent and autonomous world governing body of basketball.

Two years later, FIBA was officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Fast-foward to the present day and FIBA now is made up of 213 National Member Federations from all four corners of the globe.

The celebrations to mark this milestone are in full effect this weekend with the House of Basketball - FIBA's headquarters - hosting the third edition of the FIBA Open, an annual event taking place during the weekend closest to FIBA's anniversary.

Since its first staging in 2015, the FIBA Open has brought together basketball players and fans from across Switzerland, neighboring France and beyond to enjoy the game in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. This year, no fewer than 520 players from 130 teams are competing across categories including senior men and women, youth boys and girls, as well as mixed and wheelchair.

The FIBA Open celebrates basketball through the sport's 3x3 urban discipline, which recently made a quantum leap in the development of the sport by becoming a part of the Olympic basketball program starting with the Tokyo 2020 Games.

Another major celebration is set to take center stage in the House of Basketball on September 30. That is when FIBA will hold the Induction Ceremony for the 2017 Class of its Hall of Fame. The event will have a theme based around FIBA's 85th anniversary and, as is regularly the case, there will be a large turnout of personalities and living legends of the game.

Key dates over the course of FIBA's 85-year history

1932: FIBA is founded in Geneva, Switzerland

1936: Basketball becomes an Olympic sport in Berlin

1950: First FIBA Basketball World Cup staged in Buenos Aires, Argentina

1953: First FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup in Santiago, Chile

1976: First Women's Olympic Basketball Tournament at Montreal Olympics

2013: House of Basketball is inaugurated in Mies, Switzerland

2015: On 1 January, FIBA becomes ONE FIBA with Regional Offices in five continents - Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania

2016: FIBA counts 213 National Member Federations2017: 3x3, FIBA's urban discipline, is included as part of the Olympic Basketball program, starting with the Tokyo 2020 Games.

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