BEIRUT (Lebanon)- The FIBA Asia Board held its sixth meeting for the 2023-2027 cycle in Bangkok, Thailand on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
The meeting, chaired by FIBA Asia President Dr. K Govindaraj, was attended by FIBA President Sheikh Saud bin Ali Al Thani, FIBA Secretary General Mr. Andreas Zagklis and FIBA Executive Director Asia, Mr. Hagop Khajirian.
The FIBA Asia Board took note of the challenges faced in the conduct of the activities in the region due to the unstable security conditions in West Asia and Gulf.
The Board was updated about the impact of FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Qualifiers Window 3 globally which saw 93 games played at 50 venues in 80 countries over 11 days involving 981 players with more than 330,000 spectators attending.
The 16 teams in the Asian Qualifiers engaged in games being played at 10 venues – including 3 new venues in Australia, China India – that saw a total spectatorship of more than 65,000.
The Board was informed about the participation of a record number of 18 National Teams in the FIBA Asia Cup 2029 Pre-Qualifiers First Round that is set to be played at four venues during International Window Period for Men between Aug 24-Sept 1, 2026.
The Board also reviewed the preparations for the FIBA U18 Asia Cup 2026 to be played in Ahmedabad (India) from Aug 3-13, 2026 and the FIBA U18 Women’s Asia Cup 2026 Division A, scheduled to be played in Seremban (Malaysia) from Oct 4-10, 2026 while also evaluating the FIBA U18 Women’s Asia Cup 2026 Division B currently in progress in Bangkok (Thailand).
The meeting was appraised of the rapid achievements made in the BCL Asia-East, a fully FIBA owned league, which had returned very encouraging numbers in spectator participation and media exposure in the revamped competition structure for the 2026 season.
The Board also took note with appreciation the efforts of all the FIBA Asia Sub-Zones in ensuring the Qualifying events were conducted for the continental Youth competitions this year, thereby providing opportunities to more teams a pathway to compete at the continental level.
The Board was updated of the start of the promotional activities for the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup 2027 with the brand reveal that took place in the host city Cebu (Philippines) and the announcement of the game schedule one year before tip-off of FIBA’s flagship event for women’s basketball in Asia.
FIBA