Ankara, Turkey –The FIBA World Championships get underway in Turkey tomorrow, with many of the games taking place in Ankara Arena on Connor Sports Flooring’s QuickLock™ portable maple hardwood flooring.
FIBA is the Federation of International Basketball, the world governing organization for the sport.
This biggest-of-all basketball championships takes place August 28, 2010 through September 12, 2010, with teams coming from zones from around the world to compete.
Ten top European nations and Russia are sending their men’s national teams, as are the United States, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Argentina and Canada in the Americas. New Zealand, Australia will send teams from Oceania. African teams will include Angola, Ivory Coast and Tunisia. All compete in the series of playoffs which will culminate in the Championship game September, 12, 2010, and the crowning of the FIBA World Champions.
“The QuickLock portable court system is in place in the Ankara Arena under the auspices of the Turkish Basketball Federation and the management of Cihangir Sonat and Julide Sonat, principles of CENTER SPORT, the Connor Sport Court International agent in Turkey,” said Ron Cerny, President and CEO of Connor Sport Court International, headquartered in Salt Lake City. “Connor Sport Court International also provides floors for the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Final Four each year, and for a number of National Basketball Association teams.” The court was constructed by Connor at its Michigan plant using first grade Northern Hardwood Maple in strict accordance with FIBA specifications. Connor Sports Flooring is a member of the Maple Flooring Manufacturing Association and adheres to the stringent manufacturing guidelines of that organization. Connor also offers wood environmentally-certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, which identifies products from responsibly-managed forests. FIBA, the world governing body for basketball, is an independent association formed by 213 National federations of basketball throughout the world. Connor Sport Court has been FIBA Study Center partner since 1994 and its products have been approved for International competition since that time. The organization presented Connor Sport Court International with a FIBA Research and Study Center Award in 2008. FIBA is recognized as the sole competent authority in basketball by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and is based in Geneva, Switzerland. It is governed by an international board of directors.
The USA Team is comprised of players from the National Basketball Association’s various professional teams. While they can boast about being Olympic champions, the United States USA Men’s teams have not won gold at the FIBA World Championship for 16 years. Derrick Rose, point guard for the Chicago Bulls and a member this year’s U.S. team, has told reporters he believes “the United States can end their FIBA World Championship drought through team-work.” This year in Turkey, the United States will be shorter on star power, but Rose believes greater teamwork can take them further. Four years ago, a star-studded team that included the likes of LeBron James and Dwayne Wade had to settle for bronze in Japan.
About Connor Sport Court International
More athletic events are played on Connor Sport Court surfaces than on any other sports flooring in the world. Founded in 1872, Connor sports floors have established themselves as the standard for professional and collegiate sports. Connor is a member of the Maple Flooring Manufacturer’s Association. Connor also offers wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, which identifies products from responsibly-managed forests. Hardwood used in the courts is from a renewable resource, with the U.S. growing six times more hardwood than is harvested each year. Sport Court® is a registered trade mark of Connor Sport Court International. Since 1974, it has identified the original and authentic modular sport surface, continuously improved and patented to provide the highest levels of quality and performance. Connor Sport Court is proud to be the only sports surfacing company in the world that is independently audited and verified as “Zero Waste” and fully ISO 9001:2008 certified.
For more information about Connor Sport Court, visit FIBA World Championships in Turkey.