The FIBA Foundation strengthens its relationship with other sport entities to preserve the heritage of basketball

MIES (Switzerland) – In order to preserve the cultural heritage and the values of basketball, the FIBA Foundation is continuously searching ways to further collaborates with other sports institutions such as the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The FIBA Foundation is the social and legacy arm of FIBA that addresses the role of basketball in society, preserving and promoting basketball’s values and cultural heritage. The Foundation was founded in 2008 and its first project was to build the Patrick Baumann House of Basketball, which was inaugurated in 2012. The building now hosts the FIBA global headquarters, the Pedro Ferrándiz Library and the “Naismith Arena” which is an exhibition space.

But FIBA’s Cultural Heritage was not launched solely by its Foundation, FIBA started collecting items and documents under the wing of the first Secretary General, William Jones. In 1991, an agreement between FIBA and the Pedro Ferrándiz Foundation was created to put all their assets under the same roof in Madrid and then in the Patrick Baumann House of Basketball in 2013. Since the Foundation’s creation, the Cultural Heritage of Basketball has become one of its two pillars. Sneakers, trophies, books as well as tens of thousands of historical items are stored in the hand-shaped building.

But what does Cultural Heritage actually consist of? It consists of promoting the legacy and values of basketball and using these to educate our global community. Managing the House of Basketball and its collections, cultural programs, and the FIBA Hall of Fame is also part of this journey. In order to do so, the Foundation collaborates with various stakeholders such as the IOC, FIBA’s National Federations and other international sports institutions - sharing knowledge, tools, and items to ensure the legacy of basketball will never perish.

In September 2022, the Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage (OFCH) invited the Foundation to visit the Olympic Museum and its archives to learn more about their digitalization techniques.

In addition, the Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage gave access to its digital archives to help the promotion of basketball. This new collaboration among many others between the two entities is a demonstration of their dedication to preserving the legacy of sport in general.

The FIBA Foundation considers the OFCH a reference in terms of preservation and continues its commitment towards becoming the global reference for basketball knowledge.

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The FIBA Foundation is the social and legacy arm of FIBA that addresses the role of sports and particularly basketball in society, preserving and promoting basketball’s values and its cultural heritage.

The FIBA Foundation believes that basketball has the power to empower, educate and inspire youth and facilitates this by implementing Basketball For Good projects around the world.

FIBA