History

•    First South Pacific Games, of which basketball is a sport, held in Fiji with French Polynesia claiming the gold medal

•    1967 Meeting convened in Western Australia to discuss formation of an Oceania Basketball zone

•    1968 Al Ramsay and Lance Cross speak to FIBA Congress in Mexico. Oceania Basketball is officially recognised by FIBA as a World Zone.  Al Ramsay took the position of Secretary General, a volunteer position he held until 1997.

•    1969 First official meeting of the Oceania Basketball Confederation, Papua New Guinea

•    1971 First Oceania men’s Championship to qualify teams to FIBA international competition

•    1974 First Oceania women’s Championship to qualify teams to FIBA international competition

•    1977 Office of the Oceania Basketball confederation opens in Coffs Harbour, Australia

•    1981 First Oceania Tournament, Fiji

•    1984 First Oceania team in women’s Olympic Basketball tournament, Australian Opals in Los Angeles- finishing 5th

•    1993 First World Championship gold medal to the Oceania region – Australian Youth women’s team

•    1994 Steve Smith appointed as deputy Secretary General, the first paid employee of Oceania Basketball Confederation.

•    1994 Australia hosts the 12th World Women’s Championships in Sydney

•    1995 First Oceania Basketball Development Officer appointed

•    1997 Patricia Ramsay Award instituted, recognizing outstanding administrators in the Oceania region

•    1997 First Oceania Youth Tournament, Fiji

•    1998 Al Ramsay appointed President of FIBA Oceania, Steve Smith appointed as Secretary General.

•    1999 FIBA Oceania entered into employment partnerships with a number of Pacific Island National Olympic Committees and Basketball Federations to employ locally based Development Officers (National Basketball Development Officers-NBDO).  Their role is to conduct grass roots development and basic administration within their country.

•    2000 First Oceania regional NBDO course

•    2001 First Oceania All Star Tour

•    2002 FIBA Oceania was accepted by the Australian Government as a partner organisation of the Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development program (AYAD).  This allowed FIBA Oceania to place young Australians in Basketball Development Officer positions in selected countries (nominated by the Australian Government) throughout the Pacific.  Countries include Vanuatu (2002 & 2003), Tonga (2002), Fiji (2003 & 2004) and Papua New Guinea (2004)

•    2004 First Oceania Coaches Study Tour, Australia

•    2006 First Senior World Championship Gold Medal, as the Australian Opals win the gold medal at the FIBA Women’s World Championships in Brazil

•    2013 Secretary General Steve Smith retires, with David Crocker his replacement

•    2014 Office moved to Canberra, in the Australian Capital Territory

•    2014 First open qualification tournament for all federations to qualify for World U19 Championships, held in Fiji

•    2015 First Pacific Games held as a FIBA Qualifying event (Port Moresby, PNG) Guam (men) and Fiji (women) champions

•    2015 FIBA Oceania office purchased in Southport, Gold Coast Queensland

•    2015 FIBA Oceania hosts Women’s Empowerment Workshop with female leaders from the Pacific

•    2016 The first Pacific Youth Leadership workshop is held in the Gold Coast

•    2017 AUS/NZL compete in the Asia Cup for Men and Women – AUS men win Gold, AUS Women runners up

•    2017 First Oceania teams compete at Asia youth events

•    2017 First FIBA Melanesia Cup hosted in Port Moresby PNG – PNG Champions in both men and women

•    2018 Basketball is included for only the second time in the Commonwealth Games hosted in Cairns, Townsville and Gold Coast – AUS claim double gold

•    2018 Guam men win the FIBA Asia Cup Eastern Region Pre-Qualifiers - earning qualification to the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Qualifiers

•    2018 First FIBA Polynesia Cup hosted in Apia, Samoa – TAH Men and Cook Islands women winning

•    2018 The first IBF Youth Leadership Cup is hosted in Singapore and Bali including Oceania youth leaders

•    2019 First Pacific Game where teams had to qualify (quota system) and first 3x3 Pacific Games event (Fiji women & Guam men champions)

•    2020 Guam host NZL Tall Blacks in a qualification game for the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 – first ever senior qualifying game held in Guam

•    2021 FIBA Oceania WiLEAD Program launched

•    2022 Amanda Jenkins appointed FIBA Executive Officer - Oceania.