MEX - Mexican Olympic Committee recognises ADEMEBA

SAN JUAN (FIBA) - After a long battle, FIBA and FIBA Americas have finally succeeded in getting the Mexican Olympic Committee (MOC) to recognise the Mexican Basketball Association (ADEMEBA).

This decision followed an exchange of numerous letters and various meetings between the parties involved.

"We are very happy that we finally can welcome the Mexican Basketball Association back in the family," said Patrick Baumann, FIBA Secretary General and IOC member.

"We believe that Mexico has huge potential in international basketball and they will certainly play an important role in the upcoming FIBA Americas championships and even maybe in FIBA world competitions."

The MOC sent a letter to FIBA as proof that it had officially recognised ADEMEBA.

Alberto Garcia, FIBA Americas Secretary General said: "I want to congratulate Felipe Muñoz, President of the Mexican Olympic Committee for his important decision to recognise ADEMEBA in order to continue the development of basketball against any court order."

"The Olympic letter and the sports law in Mexico state clearly that the Olympic Committee has to recognise one institution if it has the recognition from FIBA and ADEMEBA is the only one that complies.

"This decision allows the Mexican national teams to play the classification tournaments for the Central American and Caribbean Games, Pan-American Games in Guadalajara and FIBA Americas Championship (pre-Olympic) in both men and women," he added.

Mexican basketball has been plagued by problems of an organisational and political nature over the past couple of years and lost international recognition in 2008.

The former president of the Mexican Basketball Federation took this matter to court and did not allow the MOC to recognise another basketball organisation in the country.

The MOC, Mexican government institution CONADE and FIBA agreed to create a Reorganisation Commission and called for an election to launch the new organisation as two different groups were claiming that right.

The election took place in Monterrey late in 2008 and united a group of people who were working for Mexican basketball. That, in essence, is how ADEMEBA came to be created.

FIBA