FIBA announced today that it was retaining the same ball for the upcoming World Basketball Championship in Turkey which was used in the tournament four years ago.
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.
Patrick Baumann, the Secretary-General of FIBA and a member of the International Olympic Committee, said: “We are not prepared to jeopardise the integrity of our tournament for commercial reasons. FIFA took a major gamble by introducing a new ball and there are plenty of critics who do not think that it was worth it.
“The ball is one of the key elements in our brilliant game and we do not want to do anything which might spoil the fun, excitement and competition in Turkey. The Molten GL7 has served our sport remarkably well and there is absolutely no reason to change it.
“The players love it and our view is: ‘If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.’”
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