The International Basketball Federation (Fiba) has changed its rules so that elite level tournaments can use LED glass courts, paving the way for new broadcast experiences and sponsorship activations.
Previously, ‘tier one’ competitions such as the Fiba Basketball World Cup have been required to use wooden flooring for safety reasons and to protect the integrity of competition. However, the governing body is now satisfied that advances in glass floor technology meet the standards expected at its most high-profile competitions.
Fiba currently approves two types of glass floor, both made by German-based manufacturer ASB.
The ASB MultiSports offers LED marking lines under the floor, while the ASB LumiFlex floor is a full video floor that enables interactive training applications and enhanced show staging with additional options for advertising.
The flooring also offers the ability to add player tracking, showcasing achievements and statistics that enhance the viewer experience both in the arena and on the broadcast.
ASB promises that its flooring has the highest level of shock absorption and elasticity to ease the load on player joints and offers the rebound value that sports like basketball demand.
Its floors have been installed in several halls in Germany, including the BallsportArena Dresden, which hosted the Harlem Globetrotters in 2017. The technology was also used during the 3×3 basketball competition at the 2021 Ruhr Games in Bochum, after which Fiba conducted player surveys to inform its decision.
Now, the surface can be used in any number of competitions from 1st October 2022.
“We see Fiba as the global organisation to move basketball forward,” said ASB chief executive Christof Babinsky. “For this, we have a joint vision. 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 surface without causing skin burn when falling as well as higher elasticity at equal ball rebound.
“Fiba level one is the most valuable approval in the world of indoor sports and enables our clients to hold high-end basketball tournaments, integrating unseen elements for audience entertainment and advertising.”
The ability to display real-time statistics and graphics on the court will do much to narrow the gap between the in-venue and at-home experience.
These dynamic graphics will add another layer of visual spectacle and provide fans sitting in the arena with the same level of data and insight they would receive via a television broadcast, enhancing their understanding of what they are seeing in front of them. Meanwhile, integrated advertising will provide organisers with more inventory and value to offer partners and broadcasters and will enable more innovative activations.
Finally, multi-sport arenas will be able to use the same surface for different events, transforming the economics of operation. Since markings for different sports can be changed instantly, venues will acquire greater capacity to seamlessly switch between basketball, handball, volleyball, and badminton configurations with fewer resources.