KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (FIBA Asia Mid Term Congress): The FIBA Asia Mid Term Congress which met at the Malaysian capital on Monday resolved overwhelmingly to work towards attaining new horizons for basketball with all resolutions being passed with unquestionable unanimity.

The Mid Term Congress attended by a majority of the National Federations belonging to FIBA Asia and with FIBA President Yvan Mainini present outlayed its plans to take the sport to new and higher levels with a commitment towards solidarity.

FIBA Asia Secretary General Hagop Khajirian in his Vision and Mission Statement called for the members of the Congress to work on the principle of “One for All and All for One” and declared that there was “nothing the collective effort of the FIBA Asia family couldn’t achieve with its unity and solidarity.”

“We are proud of what we as a collective unit have achieved so far in FIBA Asia, which wouldn’t have been possible without the active and committed support from each one of you. We should also be aware of the challenge ahead of us, overcoming which will not be possible without the active and committed support from each one of you,” he said.

 “Our aim is to make basketball the No 1 sport in Asia – in terms of participation as well as contribution,” Khajirian declared adding that the ultimate target was to achieve “a podium finish for FIBA Asia teams from the 2020 Olympics onwards and 2022 World Cup onwards.

“The achievement of a team far outweighs the achievement of any individual. I am very firm on this principle. And this attitude will percolate to the last member in our team,” he assured the members of the Congress.

“God gave us this ability to dream. Let us dream together and work together,” he said adding that “the end of this Congress is the start of our work towards a better, bigger and more powerful position for basketball.”

The Congress also adapted the new FIBA Asia General Bye-Laws with a unanimous vote.

Further, the Congress accorded Dato’ Yeoh Choo Hock the status of FIBA Asia Secretary General Emeritus with a standing ovation.

The Congress began with observing a minute’s silence as a mark of respect to Late Harish Sharma, the former Secretary General of the Basketball Federation of India and a member of the FIBA Asia Executive Committee, who passed away in February this year.

FIBA Asia