LED glass flooring to be accepted at FIBA competitions

The FIBA has approved the use of LED glass flooring for Level 1 competitions. This rule change enables ASB GlassFloor to be accepted at FIBA’s international team and club competitions. The rule will be coming into force on October 1, 2022.

International basketball is breaking new ground with an extraordinary innovation and the German Basketball Bundesliga BBL could play a pioneering role. While traditionally Level 1 competitions have only been played on wooden floors up to now, as of October 2022 competitions at the highest level such as World and European Championships, European Cup matches or national championships may also be played on a glass floor. This was recently announced by FIBA.

The technology for this comes from Germany. There is only one supplier worldwide, the Bavarian company ASB GlassFloor, that meets the requirements for a glass sports floor. Currently, there are two versions available. While with “ASB MultiSports” you can switch predefined LED lines on and off at the touch of a button, the “ASB LumiFlex” is underlaid with LEDs all over and functions like a single giant screen.

“We are pleased to see innovations that provide a holistic experience for fans and sponsors being accepted in more FIBA competitions. This rule change certainly opens the doors for more innovative products to be included in FIBA’s Equipment & Venue Centre Approval Programme,” Bart Prinssen, Head of Equipment & Venue Centre, is quoted in the official FIBA press release.
Not only because of the request of many operators of multifunctional arenas, it could now happen quite quick in Germany that organisers will be able to choose between FIBA-approved wooden or glass floors for their next events. “There are some locations that have put pressure on us in the context of conversion or new construction measures,” said BBL Managing Director Stefan Holz at the “Neuland” future congress in Aachen at the end of June.

More events in a shorter period of time

This is understandable since, after all, the refinancing of multifunctional arenas is increased enormously by the hall floor from ASB GlassFloor. In addition to entirely new marketing opportunities, the easy and low maintenance as well as the durability of the floor mean that significantly more events can be held in a shorter period of time. Due to its joint-friendly properties, the glass floor also represents a great added value for the athletes.

“We have developed a no-compromise sports floor with, firstly, the athlete in mind. The GlassFloor features ceramic dots for grip that provide completely equal levels of control across the entire surface without causing skin burns when falling, as well as higher elasticity at equal ball rebound. FIBA Level 1 is the most valuable approval in the world of indoor sports and enables our clients to host high-end basketball tournaments, integrating unseen elements for audience entertainment and advertising,” said ASB Managing Director Christof Babinsky.
With the FIBA decision in place, the glass floor from Germany has meanwhile also come to the attention of the NBA. Several NBA teams have already contacted ASB GlassFloor for further information. (STADIAWORLD, 26.07.2022)

Homepage: ASB GlassFloor