ABIDJAN (Côte d'Ivoire) - FIBA Africa held its second Board meeting for the 2023-2027 cycle over the weekend (November 18-19) in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire.
The Board followed an Executive Committee session held on November 17.
FIBA Africa’s President Anibal Manave opened the event, offering a warm welcome to delegates. In attendance were FIBA President Sheikh Saud Ali Al Thani, who visited the West African country for the second time, FIBA Treasurer Ingo Weiss, FIBA Executive Director Africa Alphonse Bile, members of the Executive Committee and Presidents of Africa sub-zones. FIBA Secretary General Andrea Zagklis attended the event via a video conference.
Over the course of the two-day gathering, Board members met with Cote d'Ivoire's Minister of Sports, Adje Silas. During their discussions, the Government officials and FIBA representatives explored various social and sports topics, with a particular focus on the country's commitment to advancing basketball.
Recommendations and reviews of present, past, and future events, including a host announcement of an upcoming tournament, were at the top of the table.
During the two-day gathering, several key topics were discussed, including the nomination of Jean Michel Ramarasson as Vice President of FIBA Africa, the extension of FIBA Africa headquarters to add new meeting rooms, and a proposal to acquire land for building a Sports Academy.
The Board reviewed several important topics, including preparations for the FIBA AfroBasket 2025 tournaments to be held in Angola for men and Côte d’Ivoire for women. They also discussed the need for strict scrutiny on players’ dates of birth due to recent speculations on age fraud, prompting the consideration of a task force to regulate this issue. Additionally, to foster the growth of the 3x3 discipline on the continent, the FIBA Africa Board encouraged countries to establish processes for administrators to manage the future of this discipline.
Additionally, the Board commended Rwanda for successfully hosting one of the two FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 Pre-Qualifying tournaments last August and congratulated Nigeria and South Sudan for their impressive campaigns at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
The Board approved Nairobi as the host city for the Elite 16 East Division to be held from November 28 to December 3.
FIBA