FIBA

= = = FIBA = The International Basketball Federation, more commonly known by the French acronym FIBA, is an association of national organizations which governs international competition in b asketball. Originally known as the Fédération Internationale de Basketball Amateur (hence FIBA), in 1989 it dropped the Amateur from its official name but retained the initialism, because of the first two letters of the word basketball. FIBA defines the international rules of basketball, specifies the equipment and facilities required, regulates the transfer of athletes across countries, and controls the appointment of international referees. A total of 214 national federations are now members, organized since 1989 into five zones or "commissions": A frica, Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania.

History

 * The association was founded in Geneva in 1932, two years after the sport was officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee. Its original name was // Fédération Internationale de Basketball Amateur // .  Eight nations were founding members: Argentina, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Romania, and Switzerland. During the 1936 Summer Olympics held in Berlin, the Federation named James Naismith (1861-1939), the founder of basketball, as its Honorary President. 

//Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIBA// **