New appointments, selection of FIBA U17 Basketball World Cups 2018 hosts headline FIBA Central Board meeting

HONG KONG - FIBA's Central Board held its second meeting of 2017 in Hong Kong on Wednesday May 3.

Here are the key decisions, updates and main takeaways from the meeting.

Headgear rule
After initiating a revision process of the headgear rule (Article 4.4.2) that is part of the Official Basketball Rules in September 2014, the Central Board approved a proposal put forward by the Technical Commission for a new rule that will allow headgear to be worn by players. The new rule was developed in order to minimize the risk of injuries and preserve consistency of the color of the uniform.

Given the importance of the change, the Central Board will seek the ratification of the Congress during its Mid-Term session on Thursday-Friday May 4-5 in order for the rule to come into effect as of 1 October 2017.

National federations
The Central Board received a report on the situation of the Brazil Basketball Confederation (CBB) - currently suspended - after it held a three-day workshop with CBB officials last week at FIBA's headquarters.

The Central Board confirmed the suspension but acknowledged the efforts of the new CBB management and will issue a new deadline by which time the CBB will have the opportunity to provide updated information on its actions in order to resolve the governance, finance and sporting problems. The Executive Committee will evaluate any new facts at its next meeting on June 21 when it will decide on appropriate measure(s).

In order for upcoming tournaments to go ahead in the meantime as planned and to ensure that all participating teams have an adequate preparation time, the Central Board decided that Brazil will be replaced for all FIBA international events taking place until the end of July. FIBA Americas will propose teams to replace them in the coming days.

Appointments
The Central Board was pleased to approve the following appointments:
- Ms Lena Wallin-Kantzy (Sweden), Secretary-General of the Swedish Basketball Federation, as new FIBA Executive Committee member;
- Ms Yuko Mitsuya (Japan), President of the Japan Basketball Association (JBA), as Central Board member from Asia;
- Mr Asterios Zois (Greece), FIBA Europe Board Member, as Central Board member from Europe;
- Mr Yao Ming (China), President of China's Basketball Association (CBA), as co-opted Central Board member;
- Mr Andrei Kirilenko (Russia), President of the Russian Basketball Federation, as co-opted Central Board member.

FIBA U17 Basketball World Cups 2018
The FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup 2018 will take place in Minsk, Belarus. The FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2018 is to be hosted by the Argentinian cities of Rosario and Santa Fe.

FIBA Order of Merit
Bill McInnes, who played a key role in establishing the British Basketball Federation (BBF), was awarded the FIBA Order of Merit posthumously. The FIBA Order of Merit is bestowed upon "a person who has distinguished himself/herself in the field of basketball and having rendered exceptional services to sport, either through personal accomplishment or through his/her contributions to the development of basketball or sport in general."

FIBA's first-ever Mid-Term Congress takes place on Thursday-Friday May 4-5 and can be watched live here.

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About FIBA
FIBA (fiba.com) - 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.com or follow FIBA on facebook.com/fiba, twitter.com/fiba, instagram.com/fiba and youtube.com/fiba.