FIBA Oceania update

Competitions 

The FIBA Oceania region had two major regional competitions in 2019, featuring the Pacific Games and the FIBA U17 Oceania Championship.

2019 Pacific Games

Guam successfully defended its crown after holding off the gritty stand of Tahiti, 83-74, in the Gold Medal match of the 2019 Pacific Games Men’s Basketball event.

American Samoa is hailed as the new Pacific Games queens after dethroning erstwhile champion Fiji, 74-53, in the finals of the 2019 Pacific Games Women’s Basketball event.

Guam’s 3×3 Men’s Basketball denied Fiji an epic double-Gold medal finish after capping off a classic 20-18 overtime escape act to rule the Men’s division of the 2019 Pacific Games 3×3 Basketball competition.

Fiji’s 3×3 Women’s Basketball team completed its redemption bid after a 20-9 finale win over the Cook Islands to reign supreme in the historic 2019 Pacific Games 3×3 Women’s Basketball Tournament.

2019 FIBA U17 Oceania Championship

Australia retained its crown in the Women’s division of the 2019 FIBA U17 Oceania Championship, re-asserting its mastery over rival New Zealand.

Defending champion Australia completed a double-gold medal romp the 2019 FIBA U17 Oceania Championship, following the win of their female counterparts over familiar rival New Zealand, 85-56.

National Federation Development

A highlight of the final day of the Group phase of the Women’s Basketball competition at the 2019 Pacific Games was when a match between American Samoa and Papua New Guinea was officiated by an all-female technical crew.

FIBA successfully organised a two-day Elite Development Camp during the FIBA U17 Oceania Championship held at the secondary courts of Arena De Sud in Paita, New Caledonia.

In preparation for the inauguration of 3×3 Basketball to the Pacific Games, FIBA organized a referee clinic for the referees of the Men’s and Women’s 3×3 tournament.

FIBA Oceania Board Member, Jubilee Kuartei, visited the Marshall Islands to conduct a series of referee and table official clinics in preparation for the Marshall Islands Basketball Federation’s (MIBF) Ralik Ratak National Basketball Tournament.

Oceania National Olympic Committee (ONOC) Secretary General, Ricardo Blas, commended the basketball tournament held as a part of the 2019 Pacific Games

Pacific Games Council President, Vidhya Lakhan, stressed the importance of FIBA’s involvement to create a pathway through regional qualifiers as a model for other sports and international sporting federations.