Region's best

BASKETBALL Fiji is one of the best administered federations in the Oceania region says International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Oceania secretary general David Crocker.

Fiji became the first country outside Australia and New Zealand to host the world championship qualifier which coincides with the FIBA Oceania under-19 Basketball Championship, the event proper starts tomorrow at the Vodafone Arena in Suva.

And with the new world championship qualifier to be implemented in 2017, Crocker strongly believes Fiji could be on the world stage among the 241 basketball countries.

The new system is a combined Oceania and Asia world championship qualifying for both the seniors and youth categories.

"I have seen tremendous change in the last 12 months," he said.

"The way Basketball Fiji runs its affairs, its vision for the future, its investment it makes into the people, they have a significant amount of time invested in young people of basketball in Fiji to become better people and through that they become better basketball players.

"We think Fiji is certainly one of the countries in the world which has the attributes to win its way into the new world basketball qualifying system and do well in that system."

FIBA Oceania is looking for the best two teams in the regions to join Australia and New Zealand as representatives to the new world qualification.

Crocker, who is in the country for the U19 Oceania, believes Fiji could be a very good candidate to become one of the competitive teams in world basketball, given its well structured federation.

He said Basketball Fiji had done so well to organise and host the U19 Oceania and world championship qualifying event.

He added Fiji could expect to host more international events.

"Fiji can expect to host more events when they're prepared to take more events —— this has been a significant undertaking of Basketball Fiji to host the Oceania event. The workloads being carried by the team is unbelievable by negotiating all sort of local suppliers, I believe basketball in Fiji has become one of the best administered federation in the Oceania zone."

Basketball Fiji president Iowane Naivalurua said they had worked hard during the past six years to put their house in order.

The Oceania U19 event starts tomorrow with Australia taking on American Samoa in the women's competition at 1pm. The event officially opens at 11am.

 

<http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=287739>
Emoni Narawa
Sunday, November 30, 2014




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