FIBA launches .basketball as new digital identity of the global basketball community

MIES, Switzerland - FIBA's official website FIBA.com has become FIBA.basketball after the International Basketball Federation on Thursday officially launched the .basketball domain name.

FIBA is among the very few international federations to have applied and successfully secured the Top Level Domain (TLD) named after its sport. As a result, basketball's world governing body is now in a position to provide all of the sport's stakeholders and fans with a trusted and secure domain space that is consistent with industry standard service levels.

FIBA Secretary General and International Olympic Committee (IOC) Member Patrick Baumann said: "The .basketball domain is ideal because it is clear, specific, has a global scale and reach and defines the sport. Ensuring that .basketball is kept within the sport for the benefit of the global basketball community is fully in line with one of FIBA's missions - that of bringing people together and uniting the community."

The process to obtain the .basketball domain began in 2012, when FIBA partnered with Roar Domains, a US-based company focused on the commercialization of sports-related Top Level Domains, to submit its application.

Aware of the fact that domain names including .com, .net and .org were reaching saturation point, FIBA and Roar Domains jumped at the chance of securing .basketball when the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) was expanding the portfolio by making certain words available to the private sector as a generic top-level domain (gTLD).

Following an extensive process, FIBA and Roar Domains were informed of the successful outcome of their application.

Roar Founder and Chairman Ryan Nelsen congratulated FIBA on the launch of the FIBA.basketball website, and said it was a tribute to FIBA's vision for the future: "Creating a global digital identity for basketball is an historic step that will unify, protect and promote the sport for its Federations, Clubs, players and everyone in the Basketball community. We look forward to working with FIBA to strengthen the basketball digital identity online and strengthening links within the community."

Roar Co-Founder Hamish Miller said: "FIBA's commitment to uniting and developing the basketball world with its powerful new domain makes them a great partner for Roar. We are delighted to be working with FIBA to enhance basketball community members' digital presence, identity and security through the .basketball domain."

FIBA obtained the .basketball domain with a view to:

Accelerate the promotion of basketball and stakeholder brands in a controlled environment; Promote the sport and unify the global community online under a common banner; Make sure the rights of privileged basketball stakeholders are preserved; Link all participants via a specific identity and create a recognizable digital space for all basketball-related activities online. [/unordered]

FIBA expects the global basketball community to embrace .basketball and is offering priority access to the domain names to its 213 National Federations and their members (leagues, clubs, players, etc.) as well as key stakeholders. The general public will have the chance to avail of the trusted and secure domain in 2018.

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About FIBA
FIBA (fiba.basketball) - the world governing body for basketball - is an independent association formed by 213 National Basketball Federations throughout the world. It is recognised as the sole competent authority in basketball by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

For further information about FIBA visit fiba.basketball or follow FIBA on facebook.com/fiba, twitter.com/fiba, instagram.com/fiba and youtube.com/fiba.