June 11, 2016
Countdown to Manila OQT: 24 days
FIBA and Molten unveiled on Thursday the official balls to be used at the 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments and the 2016 Olympic Basketball Tournaments at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
Molten’s exclusively branded BGL7X-YG and BGL6X-YG basketballs will be used respectively in the men’s and women’s world competitions this summer.
The FIBA-approved special edition design will adorn the official balls. The expressive design reflects the movement and agility of the most elite players in the world and will add excitement to the game for players and spectators alike.
The balls will be used at the FIBA Women’s Qualifying Tournament in Nantes, France (June 13 to 19) and at the three FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments taking place in Belgrade, Serbia, Turin, Italy, and Manila, Philippines between (July 4 to 10) with each ball reflecting the identity of the respective tournament.
They will then be in play at the Olympic Basketball Tournaments for men and women where they will carry the official branding of the 2016 Olympics.
“We are very excited to present these unique basketballs that will be used by the world’s best players and best teams at our biggest events of 2016. We are extremely grateful to Molten – with whom we’ve enjoyed a tremendous relationship for more than 30 years – for helping us develop these products,” FIBA Secretary General and International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Patrick Baumann said.
“Molten is committed to developing the best sports equipment for FIBA and the larger basketball community. We are looking forward to being a part of these world-class competitions,” Kiyofumi Tamiaki, President and CEO of Molten Corporation, said.
It is the third year in a row that Molten has produced basketballs exclusively branded for FIBA events, following on from the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup and FIBA EuroBasket 2015.
The special edition balls will be made available for sale to the general public on July 1. Fans and followers of FIBA across its social media platforms will have the opportunity to win a number of them over the summer as well.
