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GENEVA
(FIBA) – The FIBA Central Board, the highest executive body of the
International Basketball Federation, met yesterday, Friday 25th April,
and has continued its session today, Saturday 26th April, in Beijing,
China. The meeting has been organized in cooperation with the Chinese
Basketball Association.

An additional press release containing several important decisions of
the FIBA Central Board will be issued in the next hours. However, this
morning the Central Board has taken some major and historic decisions
as with regards to the game rules.

Indeed, upon recommendation of the FIBA Technical Commission (a group
of experts that deal with the game rules), the FIBA Central Board has
approved today several amendments to the Official Basketball Rules.

The recommendations by the FIBA Technical Commission and the decisions
taken by the Central Board were strived by the attempt to further unify
all existing game rules and to have, in the future, only one set of
rules for the game of basketball worldwide.

Please find below a summary of all approved rule changes, which include
historic amendments like the extension of the 3-point line (in place
since 1984) and the change of the trapezoid restricted area (in place
since the 1950s) to a rectangular one:

OFFICIAL BASKETBALL RULES 2008:

All below-mentioned rules will come into effect as of 1st October 2008, i.e. after the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Art. 4.3 Uniforms

The provision that T-shirts may be worn by players under their game uniforms is not valid anymore.

Art. 25.2.3 Player falling on the floor

It is legal when a player falls and slides on the floor while holding the ball.

Art. 28.1.3 Ball goes into team’s frontcourt

The ball goes to the teams’ frontcourt when, during the dribble from
backcourt to frontcourt, both feet of the dribbler and the ball are in
contact with the frontcourt.

Art. 30.1.2 Ball returned to the backcourt

It will not be a violation anymore if a player, who jumps from his
frontcourt, establishes a new team control while still airborne and
then lands in his team’s backcourt.

Art. 31 Goaltending and interference

If a player reaches through the basket from below and touches the ball,
it is an interference (and not a simple violation) with all the
relevant rule consequences.

Art. 36.1.4 Unsportsmanlike foul

If a defensive player causes contact with an opponent from behind or
laterally in an attempt to stop a fast break and there is no opponent
between the offensive player and the opponents’ basket, then the
contact shall be judged to be unsportsmanlike.

Art. 38.3.1 Technical foul

A technical foul can be called on a player for excessive swinging of elbows (without contact).

OFFICIAL BASKETBALL RULES 2010:

The below mentioned rule amendments will come into effect as follows:

• For high level competitions/Level 1 (main FIBA official competitions:
i.e. Olympic Tournaments, World Championships for Men and Women, U19
and U17 World Championships for Men and Women and Zone/Continental
Championships for Men and Women): as of 1st October 2010, i.e. after
the 2010 FIBA World Championship.

• For medium level competitions/Level 2 (i.e. all other FIBA official
competitions and the high level competitions of the national
federations): as of 1st October 2012, i.e. after the London 2012
Olympic Games.

Art. 2.2.3 Free-throw lines and restricted areas

The restricted areas shall be the floor rectangle areas marked on the playing court.

The restricted (three-second) area shall be a rectangle (not anymore a trapezoid) as per Diagram 1 below.

Art. 2.2.4 Three-point field goal area

The distance of the three-point line shall be 6,75 m (and not 6,25 m as present).

Art. 2.2.6 Throw-in side lines

The two (2) small lines shall be marked outside the court, on the
opposite side of the scorer’s table and the team bench areas, with the
outer edge at the distance of 8,325 m from the inside edge of the end
lines; in other words, level to the top of the three-point line.

During the last two (2) minutes of the game and of the extra period,
following the time-out granted to the team that has been entitled to
the possession of the ball from its backcourt, the subsequent throw-in
will be taken on the opposite side of the scorer’s table from the
“throw-in side line” and not as presently from the centre line extended.

Art. 2.2.7 No-charge semicircles

The no-charge semicircles shall be marked on the playing court, under
the baskets. The distance of the inner edge of the semicircles shall be
1,25 m from the centre of the basket (on the floor).

A charging (offensive) foul should never be called if the contact by
the offensive player is with the defensive player standing within the
no-charge semicircle.

Art. 29 Twenty-four seconds

If the throw-in is to be administered in the backcourt, if required by
the respective rules, the 24 second device shall be reset to 24 seconds.

If the throw-in is to be administered in the frontcourt, if required by
the respective rules, the 24-second device shall be reset as follows:

- If 14 seconds or more are displayed on the 24-second device at the
time the game was stopped, the 24-second device shall not be reset and
shall remain the same.

- If 13 seconds or less are displayed on the 24-second device at the
time the game was stopped, the 24-second device shall be reset to 14
seconds.

For a clearer visualization of the first four changes above, please refer to the Diagram 1.