IVORY COAST : Koré Moïse - « Afrobasket 2011 will be the show of African Basketball »

As Côte d4ivoire be named to host the Afrobasket men 2011, the President of Ivorian Basketball Federation (FIBB), Koré Moise held a press conference this Monday 22nd March 2010 at FIBA Africa’s secretariat general Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. A the press conference, the boss of Ivorian basketball talked about the motivations and the goals aimed by Côte d’Ivoire by hosting the event in Abidjan.

« FIBA Africa named Côte d’Ivoire as the host of the FIBA Africa Nations Championship for men 2011. It is the result of a path that begun in Madagascar where Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria and Madagascar introduced their bidding files respectively. We introduced our file moreover in technical plan as in communication plan. We are happy to announce that following its last meeting, the Executive Committee decided to appoint Côte d’Ivoire as the host of the Afrobasket 2011. It is good news for us because we hosted the event 25 years ago in 1985. », declared the President, Koré Moïse. He expressed his satisfaction to welcome all the best teams of the continent in Côte d’Ivoire as well as « our brothers and friends from all of these countries ».

The boss of FIBB assured that Côte d’Ivoire will make all to respect the deadlines imposed by FIBA Africa’s guidelines. He promised that the FIBA Africa Championship will be « both a Ivorian Basketball show and Africa Basketball show ». According to him, it is important for the development of African Basketball that Africans aim to host such as competitions in good conditions. All of these will contribute to allow FIBA and « all the basketball stakeholders to say that Africa comes out from the amateurism». These challenges alongside the will for equipping Côte d’Ivoire with standard sports infrastructures which justify the reason of Koré Moise to host the Afrobasket 2011. Kore Moise aimed to win the competition. « Nobody goes to a competition without a goal to win. Thus Côte d’Ivoire goes into the competition as all other participant countries to try to win. If the reality of the playing courts shows us the contrary, we will take note of this but it is not mean that we are not ready. We will keep on working. But if we train well, there is no doubt that we can fight with equal arms against other African teams and try to win the Championship», presiced the President of Ivorian Basketball who declared that his goal for his term office is to « pull up the Ivorian Basketball to its initial level ». For that, he urged every body to follow the model of Angola who rules the African Basketball only because of the work.

FIBA Africa