For the first time at an official basketball tournament of the world federation FIBA, the sports floor made of glass by ASB GlassFloor will be used. At the FIBA Women’s U19 World Championship in Madrid/Spain (15 – 23 July 2023), the athletes will play on the ASB GlassFloor, a complete video floor made of glass. This was officially announced by FIBA on Monday 27 March 2023 at the group draw in Madrid.
In addition to the World Cup matches, ASB GlassFloor will present the full technical spectrum of the floor on a tournament day. This will include player tracking, interactive training drills, interactive digital games, special effects and spectator interaction. To this end, ASB GlassFloor has entered into interesting tech partnerships specifically for this purpose.
Apart from the fact that ASB GlassFloor’s glass floor is a great added value for the health of the athletes due to its joint-friendly properties, it is the first time that sport, entertainment and advertising are interlinked in the focus of the spectators. For example, player tracking allows live statistics to be displayed on the playing surface, but also classic TV commercials, image films or trailers for the next sports highlight to be played directly on the playing surface.
“We are very much looking forward to seeing the premiere of this glass floor covering on the world stage in July. This innovative surface, made possible by the recent rule change, clearly demonstrates FIBA’s appetite to embrace new technology and innovation. It underlines FIBA’s determination to move our sport forward so that we can make basketball even more attractive and engaging for fans while improving the experience for players,” said FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis.
The basketball world governing body has recognised the signs of times and already approved the use of LED glass floors in level 1 competitions through a rule change last October. In the battle for Olympic relevance the glass video floor from ASB GlassFloor with its possibilities opens up a unique opportunity for many sports to reposition themselves for the future.
In Madrid, people are looking forward to the ASB GlassFloor, which will be used from the final round onwards. Jorge Garbajos, President of the Spanish Basketball Federation, said: “As the host country, we know that it can offer us additional opportunities from a marketing and branding point of view, both in terms of working with advertising partners and improving the fan experience.”
Christof Babinsky (Managing Director ASB GlassFloor): “We are very excited about the World Cup in Madrid, which gives us the chance to be part of a flagship global tournament. We have the opportunity to host several official World Cup games on our video floor and present our vision of the future of basketball and marketing in indoor sports. I am firmly convinced that we will be able to convince the big players in basketball of the new marketing possibilities and that we will have many interesting discussions about development opportunities. Above all, we are looking forward to the day when we will be able to present the full capabilities of the ASB GlassFloor. This showcase gives us the opportunity to pass the floor to the programmers and designers to see what is really possible. It’s already going to be very exciting.”