Molten Corporation (Headquarters: Nishi-ku, Hiroshima; President and CEO: Kiyofumi Tamiaki), FIBA's (International Basketball Federation) longest-standing global partner, is now reflecting on its largest ever Women in Basketball #KeepPlaying edition to support female athletes and leaders with its three-continent push in 2025.

“The world’s biggest women’s basketball tournaments his summer - FIBA Women’s EuroBasket in Czechia, Germany, Italy, Greece, FIBA Women’s AmeriCup in Chile and FIBA Women’s Asia Cup in China - have proved to be exceptional opportunities for Molten to inspire, empower and equip girls, young women and female leaders to excel in global basketball,” said Molten’s Head of Brand Marketing Noa Hasegawa.

KeepPlaying tip off at EuroBasket 2025

Tipping off this year’s #KeepPlaying at FIBA’s Women LEAD in Basketball Forum held on the eve of FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2025 final day in Athens, Molten’s Head of Brand Marketing Noa Hasegawa addressed FIBA’s strategic priorities for women in basketball on an enlightening panel with Hellenic Federation Board member and FIBA Europe Women Equality Commission member Annie Konstantinidou, Casademont Zaragoza coach Jorge Aguaron and Frédérique Martin-Basté, Head of Partnership Management at FIBA Marketing.

The 38 participants of WiLEAD 3.0, FIBA’s visionary development program aiming to increase gender diversity within FIBA and National Federations, also graduated at this Forum. But first they had to pitch business ideas ‘Shark Tank’-style to a panel supported by Molten - and now, thanks to winning ideas, three WiLEAD graduates representing different European countries are heading to FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 (4-14 September) in Berlin, courtesy of Molten.

Meanwhile in Munich, Molten organised a special event for 14-16 year old female basketball players to meet their Women’s EuroBasket 2025 athlete idols, get an exclusive look behind the scenes and the opportunity to win tickets to key competitions.

Adelante - let’s go!

Next stop on Molten’s three-continent campaign was FIBA Women’s AmeriCup 2025 in Chile and in partnership with the Adelante program of FIBA Americas, which is designed to identify, inspire and empower the next generation of female leaders in basketball.

Working with Carol Callan, FIBA Central Board member and first woman to serve as President of FIBA Americas, Molten surveyed U23 players and adults looking at factors leading young women to leave basketball across different countries in the region.

The findings - to be analyzed by Molten and FIBA Americas - will help to develop strategies to increase and sustain female participation, improve gender diversity in clubs and national federations, and develop elite coaches and referees.

Molten and FIBA Americas will also soon be selecting a group of female leaders with standout ideas to be invited to FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026.

Celebrating inclusion in China

At FIBA Women’s Asia Cup 2025 in Shenzen, China the action blended perfectly with the unifying spirit of basketball thanks to two exciting clinics.

The Special Olympics clinic powered by Molten - led by FIBA Hall of Famers and FIBA Women’s Asia Cup 2025 Ambassadors Miao Lijie and Yuko Oga, with FIBA Foundation Youth Leader Shao Ting - will be forever etched on memories.
“We have been honored to support the Special Olympics Clinic at FIBA Women’s Asia Cup. At Molten, we believe every child deserves the chance to feel the joy, emotions and connection that basketball brings. It’s about creating lifelong memories and fostering a deep love for the game - no matter who you are or where you come from,” underlined Hasegawa.

In Molten’s second clinic, Shenzhen’s young female basketball players enjoyed games and drills with advice and inspiration from senior female role models and leaders, motivating them to stay connected to the game for years to come.
Her World Her Rules, FIBA’s largest and most recognized grassroots program globally, gave Molten an additional opportunity to support young female athletes - 116 girls, aged 8-16, from 10 countries gathered in Shenzhen on 12-18 July for FIBA China Girls' Summer Camp, the biggest of its kind to date. Here, as part of the Molten Basketball Legend Camp Visit, they had the unique chance to attend training sessions with national team legends Shao Ting and Sun Mengran and receive signed basketballs as gifts.

KeepPlaying 2025 and beyond

"2025 marks Molten’s four-year milestone of supporting the growth of women in basketball, with this summer’s three-continent push being an incredibly rewarding chapter as we look to constantly build for a bright future,” concluded Hasegawa.

“With our series of carefully designed initiatives, working closely with FIBA as their longest standing global partner, Molten’s aim has been to inspire the entire female ecosystem in basketball - from players of all ages, to coaches, referees and future operational leaders - as we countdown to FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 (4-14 September) in Berlin, Germany.

“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 - our aim is to make this happen.”

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, X, 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/