MADRID (FIBA Central Board) - FIBA's Central Board meeting in the Spanish capital came to an end on Sunday with a number of key decisions having been made.

On Saturday, the Central Board attributed the hosting duties for the 2012 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments (OQTs) for Men and Women to Venezuela and Turkey respectively.

Another major topic on the agenda over the weekend concerned the schedule of competition for the period 2017-2030. The Board gave the green light to go ahead with the study and the development of the sporting elements such as the different formats of qualification and detailed calendar proposals.

Talks between FIBA and its member national federations on this topic will continue over the coming months, as well as with other stakeholders such as leagues, clubs and Zones.

Meanwhile, a change in the competition format for FIBA's U17 World Championships for Men and Women was passed, with the number of participating teams increasing from 12 to 16 starting in 2014.

The weekend also saw FIBA's 3x3 Basketball programme take another giant step forward with the official launch of its competition network, with the first ever World Tour and the World Championship for Men and Women being held in 2012. The new discipline was introduced with great success at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Singapore and FIBA held its first-ever 3x3 Youth World Championship in Rimini, Italy, in September.

During this meeting, the Central Board admitted the Deaf International Basketball Federation (DIBF) among the organizations officially recognised by FIBA.

Last but not least, the Central Board were given a presentation of the FIBA Strategy for the period 2011-2018. Click here to find out more about the strategy.

The next FIBA Central Board will take place on 28-29 April 2012.

FIBA