Molten Corporation (Headquarters: Nishi-ku, Hiroshima; President and CEO: Kiyofumi Minamiaki), as FIBA's (International Basketball Federation) longest-standing global partner, is set to launch its exciting Women in Basketball #KeepPlaying 2025 edition to support female athletes and leaders.

The action-packed summer of initiatives - running alongside the world’s biggest women’s basketball events on three continents - aims to inspire and support all women involved in the world of basketball, from female players, to women coaches, referees and operational staff, as we approach the one-year countdown to the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 (4-14 September) in Berlin, Germany.

EuroBasket2025 - WiLEAD ‘Shark Tank’ style event

EuroBasket 2025 (18-29 June), taking place in Czechia, Germany, Italy and Greece, will set the scene for this summer’s first Women in Basketball #KeepPlaying 2025 edition.

Members of FIBA’s WiLEAD Women in Leadership Program - which brings together talented and knowledgeable women working across national federations to increase growth and visibility of the women’s game in Europe and beyond - will jump into a thrilling ‘Shark Tank’-style event, after networking with champion athletes.

They will present top ideas to a panel including Molten’s Head of Brand Marketing Noa Hasegawa to address FIBA’s strategic priorities for women in basketball - focusing on increasing female participation, developing and leveraging elite coaches and referees, building the number of fans consuming women’s basketball, maximising the impact of women’s competitions and increasing gender diversity in clubs, national federations and within FIBA.

The women leaders with the most powerful propositions will win a special trip to the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 in Berlin.

Molten will also be hosting a special ‘backstage tour’ event on 20 June in Hamburg for young local players to meet their EuroBasket 2025 female athlete idols, get an exclusive look behind the scenes and the opportunity to win tickets to key competitions.

AmeriCup2025 - ADELANTE 3.0 Drop-out Insight

Next stop for Molten’s Women in Basketball #KeepPlaying cross-continental 2025 edition is FIBA Women’s AmeriCup Chile 2025 (28 June - 6 July).

Working with ADELANTE - the program developed by FIBA’s Regional Americas Office to identify, motivate, develop and unleash the next generation of female leaders - Molten will take a deep dive into the country-specific challenges resulting in dropout of female youth and U23 players.

“Molten has been a strong supporter of women’s basketball initiatives throughout FIBA,” explained Carol Callan, FIBA Central Board member and first-ever female FIBA Americas President. “Specifically during the 2024 U17 World Cup for Women in Leon, Mexico. We are pleased that they continue to reward the work of women’s leadership programs and lead efforts to Keep Girls Playing!’’

AsiaCup2025 - Girls & Role Models

The third stop on Molten’s Women in Basketball #KeepPlaying 2025 edition world tour is FIBA Women’s Asia Cup China 2025 in Shenzen (13-20 July), where Molten and FIBA will host a special role model forum for young players.

Featuring a famous female athlete - with an innovative digital and physical schedule of clinics and off-court sessions focusing on girls in basketball - this exciting collaboration with FIBA China, FIBA Foundation and Organisers of FIBA Women’s Asia Cup China 2025 will be a major boost to China’s young female players.

Molten - #KeepPlaying three-continent focus in 2025

"Molten is proud to collaborate with FIBA in the exciting youth basketball scene, to reduce the dropout of women in basketball and ensure that women at every stage - as athletes and leaders - stay and grow in this sport,” explained Noa Hasegawa.

"It is vital that women #KeepPlaying on and off the court, with girls, young women and female leaders coming together to build a brighter future for women's basketball."

Molten launched Un Juego sin Límites/Game with no Limits #KeepPlaying’ Forum - a bespoke program carefully designed for youth players, and those who support them on and off the court - at the FIBA U17 Women’s Basketball World Cup 2024 in Mexico, as an exciting extension of its successful Female Local Champions Program created four years ago.

The Female Local Champions Program has been putting the efforts of women in promoting and growing female basketball participation within their local communities in the spotlight with innovative events held at FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2022 in Australia and FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2023 in Slovenia and Israel.

“2025 marks Molten’s four-year milestone of supporting the growth of women in basketball,” underlines Hasegawa.

“We’re now excited to be embarking on this summer’s three continent push to inspire and create pathways for girls and young women to stay connected with basketball, and to pursue their dreams in this sport - we tip off in Europe, jump to Asia and culminate in the Americas, with the one-year countdown to FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 now so close on the horizon!”

About FIBA

FIBA (fiba.basketball) - the world governing body for basketball, is an independent association formed by 212 National Basketball Federations throughout the world. It is recognized as the sole competent authority in basketball by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

For further information about FIBA, visit fiba.basketball or follow FIBA on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

About Molten

Molten established in1958 in Hiroshima, has been manufacturing and selling sporting goods such as game balls for basketball, handball, soccer, and volleyball based on uncompromising quality.

Molten creates the official game balls and other innovative products such as whistles, digital scoreboards and wider sports equipment that are used in international competitions, by the world’s top leagues and teams, and continues to increase the level of quality as the global standard.

About Molten & FIBA

Molten is FIBA’s longest standing Global Partner - celebrating 40 years of international collaboration in 2022 - and working hand in hand with FIBA to support the rise of girls and women in basketball. Please visit our website for more details URL: https://www.molten.co.jp/sports/en/