FIBA Approves Historic Rule Changes

GENEVA (FIBA) – The FIBA Central Board, the highest executive body of the International Basketball Federation, met Friday 25th April and Saturday 26th April, in Beijing, China. The Central Board has taken some major and historic decisions as with regards to the game rules. Upon recommendation of the FIBA Technical Commission (a group of experts that deal with the game rules), the FIBA Central Board has approved today several amendments to the Official Basketball Rules. The recommendations by the FIBA Technical Commission and the decisions taken by the Central Board were strived by the attempt to further unify all existing game rules and to have, in the future, only one set of rules for the game of basketball worldwide. Please find below a summary of all approved rule changes, which include historic amendments like the extension of the 3-point line (in place since 1984) and the change of the trapezoid restricted area (in place since the 1950s) to a rectangular one: