The news comes on the back of a very successful FIBA World Championship in Turkey, where the action was put out to 183 countries with a worldwide audience of more than a billion.

Major broadcasters that will show the action from Brno, Ostrava and Karlovy Vary include Czech TV, Direct TV, Fox, CCTV, JSports, Canal+ and Supersport.

In Brazil, the games will be shown across four networks – Sportv, ESPN Brasil, Bandsports and Esporte Interativo.

The 2010 FIBA World Championship for Women consists of 60 total games taking place between 23rd September and 3rd October.

Four years ago when the tournament was held in Brazil, it was broadcast to 76 countries and territories.

The tournament features 16 teams, including reigning world champions Australia and 2008 Olympic gold medalists USA.

All the action can be seen on fibatv.com – fans can sign up for the Tournament Pass or the Day Pass.

Click here for more information on the 2010 FIBA World Championship for Women.

FIBA, the world governing body of basketball, today announced that four players are to be suspended, and their national federations fined, after recent fighting at a friendly tournament in Greece.

On 19th August, at a game between Greece and Serbia, a fight broke out towards the end of the game involving two players – Antonis Fotsis (GRE) and Milos Teodosic (SRB). This resulted in a wider, violent brawl between several players of both teams.

The game was stopped immediately and never resumed.

FIBA started an official investigation after the game and has now announced its findings.

Serbian player Nenad Krstic is suspended with immediate effect for three games in main official FIBA competition which include the World Championships, Olympics and Continental Championships. The player is also fined a total of CHF 45,000.

His teammate, Milos Teodosic, is also suspended with immediate effect for two games in main official FIBA competitions.

The Serbian Basketball federation will be fined a total of CHF 20,000.

Greek players Antonis Fotsis and Sofoklis Schortsanitis are suspended with immediate effect for two games in main official FIBA competitions.

The Hellenic Basketball Federation will be fined a total of CHF 20,000.

Money from the fines will be used to support education programs for young basketball players.

FIBA believes that the judgement will send a strong message to all players that their behaviour on and off the court must be exemplary and in line with the rules of basketball at all times.

All parties have the right to appeal the decisions taken.

The FIBA World Championship begins in Turkey on 28th August 2010.

The 80-game competition, which begins this Saturday, will be shown across the world to an audience of more than one billion on terrestrial, satellite and subscription channels.

Major broadcasters transmitting the action include ESPN, Fox, Al Jazeera Sport, CCTV, NTV Turkey, Canal+, Viasat, La Sexta and Supersport, which will broadcast 38 free-to-air games in Africa for the first time. FIBA also today announced a deal with the cable and satellite channel Ten Sports to bring the tournament to the Indian sub-continent for the first time.

A total of 132 countries took coverage from the last World Championship in Japan in 2006. However, FIBA has been able to agree a further 51 partnerships, including countries which have not taken footage before, such as India and the UK. Canada is also covering the event for the first time since it hosted the 1994 FIBA World Championship.

The 2010 World Championship will be the world’s biggest-ever basketball competition. Around 350,000 people are expected to attend the event in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir and Kayseri from August 28 to September 12.

The tournament will feature 24 teams, including reigning world champions Spain and 2008 Olympic gold medalists USA, with 288 players competing. Two new venues have been built especially for the finals.

The team winning the 2010 FIBA World Championship will qualify automatically for the London 2012 Olympics.

The campaign will carry the motto “We play and drive by the rules” and has been developed to inform people around the world – especially the young people who are basketball fans or play basketball themselves – and to encourage respect for the rules, on the road as well as on the court.

Every year some 1.3 million people die as a result of road traffic crashes worldwide – amounting to more than 3,500 deaths each day. More than half of the casualties are pedestrians, cyclists or other road users not traveling in a car. Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death for children and young people aged between 5 and 29. In addition, on average 20 to 50 million people sustain non-fatal injuries from road traffic crashes each year. These injuries are a significant cause of disabilities worldwide.

Experience shows that these are not accidents, but events that can be prevented through daily action and awareness raising. There is ample evidence in many countries in the world that respecting basic road safety rules dramatically reduces the risk of suffering a crash, and, should a crash happen, dramatically reduces its adverse consequences.

The “We play and drive by the rules” campaign is organized with the support of the Turkish Basketball Federation (TBF), which will host the championship, the Spanish Basketball Federation (FEB) and the Turkish National Police (TNP), which is in charge of road safety enforcement in the host country.

The campaign will include video clips with José Calderón, World champion with the Spanish national team, Kerem Tunçeri, of the Turkish national team, and Harun Erdenay, the Turkish Basketball legend. These will be broadcast in the arenas where the games will be played and on the television channels broadcasting the games.  Information booths will also be displayed in the arenas in the four cities hosting the games: Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir and Kayseri.

A Declaration for road safety, signed by officials of UNECE, FIBA, TBF and TNP, will be displayed in the arenas to invite the players of the various teams to join the campaign and declare: “We play and drive by the rules”.

DOWNLOAD - 2010 FIBA World Championship road safety leaflet

DOWNLOAD – 2010 FIBA World Championship road safety leaflet (TURKISH)

DOWNLOAD – UNECE Transport indicators 2008

Such scenes involving players on a basketball court are entirely unacceptable, especially as players are seen as important role models for young fans. They are also ambassadors for basketball on the global stage and they should always be seen to act as such.

A large crowd of spectators attended the opening of play and remained glued to their seats throughout all 16 games. Curiosity and enthusiasm for this new format is such that all tickets for the eight days of competition have already sold out.

The two open-air half-courts – that include special flooring designed for tropical weather conditions – are set-up in downtown Singapore’s *scape shopping district in front of a grandstand that can hold up to 1,500 spectators.

Basketball at the YOG also features a skills contest, which consists of a number of challenges, including dunking and three-point contests.

3on3 and YOG

3on3 basketball is inspired by several forms of streetball played all around the world. This exciting format, sanctioned by FIBA and played by National Teams for the first time, sees two teams of three players face off on a standard half-court, encouraging players to express themselves on court with displays of skill and trickery.

Games are to be played in two periods of five minutes, with the first team reaching 33 winning the game. If neither team has reached 33 points after the second period, the team with the highest score wins the game. The first-ever Youth Olympic Games, held in Singapore from 14th to 26th August, are a version of the Olympic Games, with a focus on young people between the ages of 14 and 18.

All 26 Olympic sports will be featured, but with a reduced number of events. Disciplines have been designed to be innovative and appealing to young people. Participating athletes are also encouraged to participate in the cultural and educational activities of the YOG.

The sport’s international governing body confirmed that it was keeping the Molten GL7 which was chosen for the finals in Japan in 2006 and also for the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

The announcement came after the recent controversy surrounding the special-edition Jabulani that was introduced for the football World Cup in South Africa. Some players have criticised its unpredictable flight and FIFA is to investigate its use.

The Molten GL7 was designated the official ball in all FIBA games when it was introduced in September 2004. It has a 12-panel, two-tone design with a composite leather cover and Butyl bladder. It has a 75cm circumference and weighs a maximum of 610 grams.

The 2010 World Championship will be the world’s biggest-ever basketball competition and feature superstars such as Kevin Durant, Jose Manuel Calderon and Jianlin Yi.

Around 350,000 people are expected to attend the event from August 28 to September 12 with more than one billion viewers watching the action on TV or online.

The tournament will be played in four cities – Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir and Kayseri – and feature 24 teams, with 288 players playing 80 games. Two new venues have been built especially for the finals.

The team winning the 2010 FIBA World Championship will qualify automatically for the London 2012 Olympics.

Nokia, Mercedes-Benz, Tissot, Champion, Molten, Turespaña and Turkcell are among the major companies aligning themselves with the event because of its mass global popularity, its clean image and the demographic of its audience.

Basketball is followed by 450million people, making it the world’s second most popular sport. Its fanbase – globally-connected, young and high-income – is also very attractive to sponsors.

Sponsors for the 2010 FIBA World Basketball Championship fall into three categories:

• Global Partners: Nokia, Bwin, Champion, Molten, Mondo, Sinalco, Tissot and Zepter
• Main Sponsors: Garanti, Intersport, Mercedes-Benz, Turkcell, Turkish Airlines, Ülker
• Event Sponsors: Efes Pilsener, TAV Airports, Tuttur

The tournament, which returns to Europe for the first time in 12 years, runs from August 28 to September 12. It will feature some of the biggest superstars in the game including Kevin Durant, Jose Manuel Calderon and Jianlin Yi.

The event will be played in four cities – Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir and Kayseri – and feature 24 teams, with 288 players playing 80 games. Two new venues have been built especially for the Championship.

The team winning the 2010 FIBA World Championship will qualify automatically for the London 2012 Olympics.

Gordon, a guard for the Detroit Pistons and former Chicago Bull team-mate of current GB star Luol Deng, has announced he will play for his native country in the EuroBasket 2011 qualifiers this August.

Britain will play home and away games against Hungary, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Ukraine with a place in next year’s European Championships in Lithuania at stake.

Patrick Baumann, Secretary General of FIBA and a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) commented:

“Players like Ben Gordon are world class and crucial role-models for anyone interested in basketball. His participation is significant for Great Britain’s qualification campaign for the 2012 Olympic Games.

“His involvement is a reflection of British Basketball’s commitment to put together the best team possible and become serious contenders in European and world basketball.

“Basketball is the second biggest sport in the world, and our aim is to maximise participation across the globe. High-profile international players like Gordon are just what the sport needs to build an even greater following across Europe from players and fans alike.”

FIBA (www.fiba.com), the world governing body for basketball, is an independent association formed by 213 National Basketball Federations throughout the world. It is recognised as the sole competent authority in basketball by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Around 350,000 people are expected to attend the FIBA World Championship 2010 in Turkey, which will be played from 28th August to 12th September and feature superstars including Kobe Bryant.

The event will be played in four cities – Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir and Kayseri – and feature 24 teams, with 288 players playing 80 games. Two new venues have been built especially for the Championship.

Application for Accreditation Deadline nearing
The accreditation application process, which requires all media wishing to attend the 2010 FIBA World Championship for Women to fill in and submit an online application form, will close on 20th June 2010.
Requests received after this date will not be taken into consideration. Access restricted, the registration portal is protected by the following password (case sensitive): 2010WCW.
Please note that the application process is an online service only; it is not be possible to obtain accreditation for this event by any other means.
The form is available at https://accreditation.st-innovation.com/fiba/webforms/FIBA/Czech_2010/acc_webform.asp.

Quick Facts about the FIBA World Championship for Women

Held every four years, the FIBA World Championship for Women determines the world’s top nation in women’s basketball. The first edition was played in 1953 in Santiago de Chile. In 2010, the tournament will be held for the 16th time.
First-time winners Australia are the reigning champions. Brazil, who also have one gold medal are the only other nation besides the USA (seven gold medals) and the Soviet Union (six gold medals) to have won the tournament.
The 2010 FIBA World Champion will automatically qualify for the 2012 Olympic Basketball Tournament for Women in London.
The following teams have qualified to compete in the Czech Republic: Group A (Ostrava): Australia, Belarus, Canada, China Group B (Ostrava): France, Greece, Senegal, USA Group C (Brno): Brazil, Korea, Mali, Spain
Group D (Brno): Argentina, Czech Republic, Japan, Russia For more information, go to czechrepublic2010.fiba.com