Another affirmation for ASB GlassFloor and another milestone in the development of indoor sports. The European Wheelchair Basketball Federation IWBF Europe has decreed that the glass flooring system “MultiSports” by ASB GlassFloor fulfils all requirements to carry out official wheelchair basketball games.
Click here for a video of the high-tech floor tested by wheelchair users:
The IWBF Europe once more made it clear that they are an innovative trailblazer in the development of wheelchair basketball, as well as indoor sports in general. The federation is the counter piece to FIBA Europe. IWBF Europe is part of the IWBF which consists of a total of four zones (America, Africa, Asia-Oceania, Europe) and is the largest and most important of them.
IWBF Europe relies on the expertise of the 25 times Swiss Champion in wheelchair basketball, the Pilatus Dragons, as well as the Swiss National Team’s Trainer Nicolas Hausamann. Together they had subjected the glass floor to an extensive endurance test on the premises of the OYM Performance Center in Cham, CH.
In addition to the significantly improved playability of the floor, the possibility of switching the lines on and off at the touch of a button was particularly emphasised, so that only the necessary markings are visible. This eliminates the tangle of lines, which results in a significant increase in the quality of the game.
Mr. Petr Tuček, Secretary General of the IWBF Europe says: “Judging from the experiences of our members from the Swiss area, and without having looked at the model myself, the IWBF Europe comes to the following conclusion: the new flooring system presented by ASB GlassFloor meets all requirements for the practice of wheelchair basketball. We as IWBF Europe emphasize the following points as advantages:
- Very innovative technology with the advantage of single line switching, so that only these are visible.
- The possibility of replacing / repairing individual panels should they ever break, without having to replace the entire floor.
The glass floor system by ASB GlassFloor is FIBA accredited, approved for the German Handball League and complies with the European standard EN 14 904:2006 for area-elastic sports floors. The decision of the IWBF Europe is not only a further step towards recognition as a sports floor for official major events for ASB GlassFloor, but above all for indoor sports itself.
The glass floor system by ASB GlassFloor not only offers the “ASB MultiSports”, in which the individual lines can be activated by LED as required, but also the “ASB LumiFlex” model, which is underlaid with LEDs all over and thus represents a full-LED video floor.
Both variants offer many other advantages and open up entirely new worlds for indoor sports. Sustainability, health, digital show effects through live tracking, new marketing forms and training opportunities ensure maximum enhancement of the athletes and the event. Particularly for the survival of many indoor sports, this floor represents an innovation vital to survival in the battle for spectators, TV relevance and Olympic participation.
“We want to contribute to bringing the athlete and his athletic performance even more into the foreground and to increase the enthusiasm of the audience by visualising top performances. That’s what motivates us. We are very happy about this endorsement by the IWBF Europe, because it brings us closer to our goal”, says Christof Babinsky, Managing Director of ASB GlassFloor.
ASB MultiSports
„ASB MultiSports” is the most sold sports flooring model by ASB GlassFloor. It is FIBA accredited, licensed for Handball Bundesliga and meets the requirements of the European norm EN 14904:2006 for area-elastic sports floors. As opposed to the full LED video floor “ASB LumiFlex”, the LED game lines are pre-defined by the customer. Via touchscreen, a professional sports field for any kind of sport is switched on and off. This way portable floors for the respective kinds of sports become redundant. And when the game lines are switched off, the surface can be used for multiple other applications such as e.g. an exhibition area, event venue, for concerts and more. Due to its characteristics, “ASB MultiSports” offers perfect joint- friendly conditions for the athlete. Burned-in ceramic dots on the glass surface provide ideal grip just like a regular sports floor. Furthermore, “ASB MultiSports” is more elastic than most wooden sports floors. And since the special surface does not show reflections, the players are neither distracted nor dazzled. The glass floor has a life expectancy of 70 years and the LEDs of minimum 50.000 hours. ASB has made it their goal to build a floor that outlives the rest of a building.
ASB GlassFloor
ASB, short for Aluminium SystemBau, was founded in the Bavarian town Stein an der Traun in 1965 by Horst Babinsky. Today, his son Christof Babinsky is in charge of the 30-employee company. In the sporting world, ASB GlassFloor is known for its innovations and sustainable design. ASB is an important development partner for the leading international squash associations. As the world’s leading squash court supplier, ASB is thoroughly familiar with everything that is expected from a top-quality sports venue. Year-long expertise and profound knowledge of the materials used all went into the development of the most modern sports flooring system available on the market. ASB GlassFloor has customers in over 70 countries and has installed over 30 glass floors worldwide.