Dubai: The President of basketball world governing body Fiba has backed Africa and Asia to catch up with the rest of the world in the sport.
Speaking on the sidelines of the ongoing Fiba U17 World Championship, Yvan Mainini said that he has witnessed promising signs from African and Asian nations during his four-year tenure that ends with the Fiba Basketball World Cup in Spain in the middle of next month.
Champions China were the only team to qualify fro the quarter-finals from the four Asian nations competing at the ongoing U17 championship, while African representatives Egypt and Angola did not make too much of an impact.
“The gap between teams from Europe or America is not so big at the moment. It is getting smaller. From my experience, there is a lot of talent in Africa and it will be a very strong continent in the future,” Mainini said.
“At Fiba, we have recognised this and are ready to help in any way possible. We have already started preparing coaches and officials to ensure the game takes the next step forward,” he added.
Mainini was elected unanimously as the 11th Fiba President during the World Congress in Istanbul, Turkey in September 2010.
With the Fiba presidency operating on the principle of continental rotation and with statutes limiting the term of office to a single four-year period, Mainini will complete his tenure at the end of the Fiba Basketball World Cup in Madrid on September 10.
The top Fiba official also refused to admit that there exists a huge difference in playing standards between teams from Asia and Africa and the rest of the world. Asia, he said, has a distinct advantage with the world’s most populous country China choosing basketball as their main sport along with other nations such as the Philippines.
“The huge advantage for Asia is because there are so many venues where the sport can be played. And then, in addition, we have people who are willing to work hard and help us achieve our aims, and this can only work in favour of the sport,” Mainini said.
“To start with, Asia must work harder to have more representation at world-level competitions. And in smaller countries like here in the Gulf, the concept of three-on-three basketball [a three-a-side form of the game using one hoop] needs to gather steam and grow. Yet another important aspect is that the federations need to visit schools and get the numbers so that basketball automatically grows.”
He added: “In my four years as president, I have seen the growth of basketball all over the world. Our annual budget has doubled, thanks to better marketing and television rights. And though we are not a rich federation, we can do enough to stay confident of better times ahead.”
