A sheikh from Qatar will lead the basketball world association in the future, at least until the home World Cup in Doha in 2027. FIBA is increasingly oriented towards Asia.
Sheikh Saud Ali Al Thani is the new president of the world basketball association Fiba. The Qatari was unanimously elected at the congress in Manila on Wednesday (08/23/2023), succeeding Hamane Niang (Mali).
Al Thani has been vice president for four years and will now hold the post until 2027, when the FIBA World Cup takes place in Qatar’s capital, Doha. “Basketball is a global sport and that is our greatest strength”said the newly elected association boss.
DBB President Weiss remains treasurer
The president of the German Basketball Federation (DBB), Ingo Weiss, was elected for a third term as treasurer. He has held the post since 2014.
Ingo Weiss, President of the German Basketball Federation, was re-elected treasurer of the world association.
Three World Championships in a row in Asia
FIBA has a strong focus on Asia, where it hosts three men’s world championships in a row. China was the host in 2019, the World Cup starts in Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines on Friday and Qatar will follow in 2027.
There, the national team has manageable successes. Qatar finished 21st in their only World Cup participation in 2006, and bronze in the 2003 and 2005 Asian Championships.
billion investments into sports
The extremely rich oil state of Qatar has been investing in international sports for some time, bringing major events to the country with the 2022 World Cup as the highlight. Qatar’s neighboring countries on the Arabian Peninsula are also taking this path with budgets running into the billions. Saudi Arabia is currently causing a stir with prominent additions to its domestic soccer league and has also bought into golf.
Emirates want to be in the Euroleague
The United Arab Emirates have recently put out feelers in the direction of basketball. The newly founded Dubai Basketball Club should get a place in the Euroleague if possible, and there was even talk of taking over the most important European competition.
The Euroleague is a partially closed league outside of FIBA with a permanent presence of 13 clubs including Bayern Munich. It has become quieter about the efforts of the Emirates recently, but the Euroleague had shown interest.