FIBA - FIBA to stick with Molten GL7 Basketball for 2010 FIBA World Championship

GENEVA (FIBA World Championship) - FIBA announced today that it was retaining the same ball for the upcoming World Basketball Championship in Turkey which was used in the tournament four years ago.

The sport’s international governing body confirmed that it was keeping the Molten GL7 which was chosen for the finals in Japan in 2006 and also for the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

The announcement came after the recent controversy surrounding the special-edition Jabulani that was introduced for the football World Cup in South Africa. Some players have criticised its unpredictable flight and FIFA is to investigate its use.

Patrick Baumann, the Secretary-General of FIBA and a member of the International Olympic Committee, said: “We are not prepared to jeopardise the integrity of our tournament for commercial reasons. FIFA took a major gamble by introducing a new ball and there are plenty of critics who do not think that it was worth it.

“The ball is one of the key elements in our brilliant game and we do not want to do anything which might spoil the fun, excitement and competition in Turkey. The Molten GL7 has served our sport remarkably well and there is absolutely no reason to change it.

“The players love it and our view is: ‘If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.’”

The Molten GL7 was designated the official ball in all FIBA games when it was introduced in September 2004. It has a 12-panel, two-tone design with a composite leather cover and Butyl bladder. It has a 75cm circumference and weighs a maximum of 610 grams.

Fumiya Tamiaki, President of Molten, said: “We are delighted that FIBA has decided to retain the GL7 for the 2010 FIBA World Championships. The ball has stood the test of time and is popular with players, coaches and fans.

“Basketball players are more sensitive to changes than footballers because they touch the ball with their hands so and play in the same indoor environment.

“We strongly believe that even the slightest change in the ball could have a major impact on the way players play the game.”

The 2010 World Championship will be the world's biggest-ever basketball competition and feature superstars such as Kevin Durant, Jose Manuel Calderon and Jianlin Yi.

Around 350,000 people are expected to attend the event from August 28 to September 12 with more than one billion viewers watching the action on TV or online.

The tournament will be played in four cities - Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir and Kayseri - and feature 24 teams, with 288 players playing 80 games. Two new venues have been built especially for the finals.

The team winning the 2010 FIBA World Championship will qualify automatically for the London 2012 Olympics

FIBA