Protocol of Stockholm

The Protocol of Stockholm (also Battle of Stockholm) was treaty between the International Amateur Handball Federation (IAHF) and Fédération Internationale de Basketball (FIBB) to transfer the oversight of basketball from the IAHF to the FIBB.

Protocol of Stockholm

Signed	September 1, 1934 (1934-09-01)
Location	Stockholm,  Sweden
Condition	Independence of Basketball
Signatories	Karl Ritter von Halt Tadeusz Kuchar Renato William Jones Giorgio di San Marzano
Parties	International Amateur Handball Federation Fédération Internationale de Basketball

Prehistory

Basketball was a demonstration sport at the 1904 Summer Olympics. Korfball a similar sport was also a demonstration sport at the 1920 and 1928 Summer Olympics.

1926 a handball commission was found at the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF). This commission was responsible for all ball games which were played by hand. Among other sports, this was basketball and handball.

Representatives from 11 countries founded the International Amateur Handball Federation (IAHF) on 4th of August 1928 in Amsterdam.[1] All ball games which are played by hand were under the umbrella of the IAHF. Basketball had its own technical commission.

At the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles was either sport (basketball and handball) present. Because the IAHF tried to add handball first and the organisation committee didn't want handball because handball was not known in the United States.

This default was the reason that Renato William Jones 4 years after the IAHF was found created the Fédération Internationale de Basketball (FIB) in Geneva on the 18th June 1932.[2] In the same year they tried to become recognized by the IOC but because the had the same abbreviation FIB as the Federation Internationale de Boxe Amateur and the IAHF has to recognize the independence of the Fédération Internationale de Basketball the recognition was declined.[3] The IAHF raised an objection on 22. December 1932.[4]

In early 1934 the FIBB (new name) send a request to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that the FIBB is responsible for basketball.[5] At the 32nd IOC Sessions in Athens on 18 May 1934 the members of the IOC had positive feedback for the request but they decided to wait until the IAHF congress in Stockholm in September for a decision.[6]

Negotiation

In 1931 Franz-Paul Lang resigned as president of the IAHF and Karl Ritter von Halt had to manage it as interim president. Therefore the main topic of the IAHF-Cogress in Stockholm in 1934 was to manage the topic of handball. Also handball was first add to the 1936 Summer Olympics so they had to plan the Olympics and basketball was not part of the congress.

Secretaries General Renato William Jones and president Giorgio di San Marzano of the FIBB were not invited. Nevertheless they traveled to the congress. Secretaries General of the IAHF Hassler didn't mind their presence. He offered them that basketball would be demonstration sports at the 1936 Summer Olympics and further questions about the FIBA would be discussed by the technical commission (IAHF) next year (1935). After the new election of the council and the technical commission, Karl Ritter von Halt as president and Avery Brundage (President of the United States Olympic Committee) as council member were elected basketball was again at the agenda.

It was a strange situation for Brundage because the USA was not part of the FIBB but he has to stand up for the FIBB. The USA would only join the FIBB if the FIBB is recognized in Europe. Von Halt offered the FIBB that members of the FIBB would be part of the basketball commission. Brundage suggested that the FIBB council should have three IAHF and three FIBB members Jones rejected, he wanted an independent federation.

Jones said that "since you are together in Stockholm, the question should be decided immediately and suggests that 2 members from each federation meet after the congress".[7]. These proposal was accepted. The IAHF named president Karl Ritter von Halt and Tadeusz Kuchar as there representatives and the negotiation was the next day. Secretaries General Hassler had the last change to talk against the recognition of the FIBB. He read out an opinion of France against the FIBB. But he could not stop the process.

On 1. September 1934 the delegates of the IAHF (Karl Ritter von Halt and Tadeusz Kuchar) and of the FIBB (Renato William Jones and Giorgio di San Marzano) needed only 20 minutes for the final contract. Observer were Dan J. Ferris (Amateur Athletic Union/USA) and Berthold Leo Werner (Austrian Handball Federation/Austria). Renato William Jones called the negotiation the "Battle of Stockholm".[8]

The Protocol

1. Acting upon the decision taken by the IIId congress of the I.A.H.F. held in Stockholm on august 31st 1934, which gave to the president and to a delegate the power to come to an agreement with the representatives of the International Basketball Federation, (F.I.B.B.), the following points were accepted by the undersigned unanimously.
2. The I.A.H.F. renounces for ever to the mandate on Basketball and recognizes as the only ruling power on this game the F.I.B.B., with the understanding, that the latter is to rule Basketball only. The I.A.H.F. and the F.I.B.B. will notify this decision to the I.O.C. and to the Bureau Permanent des Fédérations Sportives Internationales.
3. All national federations ruling Basketball only, are to be members of the F.I.B.B., to whom they will pay their fees. Those federations, which rule several branches of Handball, including Basketball, will go on paying their fees to the I.A.H.F. and the F.I.B.B. will recognize them as full-fledged members, if Basketball is actually played under their ruling.
4. The strictest collaboration is promised by both parties. One delegate of the F.I.B.B. is to sit with right of vote in the I.A.H.F.’s Board and vice-versa. The constitutions of both federations will be modified to provide for this. These two delegates will deal in particular with all questions concerning this collaboration.
5. The general assemblies and in general all meetings of a universal character of the two federations will take place at about the same time and the same place.
6. Both federations agree to assist each other in the furtherance of the respective interests on the international plan.

Reactions

On the same day which the protocol was signed Germany, Austria, Egypt, Estonia, Poland and the United States joined the FIBB.

Marcel Barille president of the Fédération Française de Basketball (FFBB) was consternated that france has not helped with the treaty. But he congratulated gentlemen Jones and di San Marzano.[9]

Confirmation by the IOC

At the 33rd IOC Sessions in Oslo on 28th February 1935 the Fédération Internationale de Basketball was recognized as governing body for basketball.[10][11]

Literature

• di San Marzano, Giorgio; Jones, Renato William; Ritter von Halt, Karl; Kuchar, Tadeusz; Ferris, Daniel J.; Werner, Berthold Leo (1 September 1934). "Protocol" (PDF; 2,3 MB). Stockholm: International Amateur Handball Federation & Fédération Internationale de Basketball. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 June 2020. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
• Jones, Renato William (14 September 1934). "Letter from Jones to Bouffard" (PDF; 2 MB) (in French and English). Fédération Internationale de Basketball. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 June 2020. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
• Priebe, Alexander (December 2008). Written at Odenwaldschule. "Wie das amerikanische Basketballspiel im nationalsozialistischen Deutschland olympisch wurde" [How American basketball became Olympic in Nazi Germany] (PDF; 211 KB). German Journal of Exercise and Sport Research (in German). Berlin: Springer Science+Business Media. 38 (4): 380–391. doi:10.1007/BF03217043. eISSN 2509-3142. ISSN 2509-3150. OCLC 969594964. Springer:BF03217043. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
• Krebs, Hans-Dieter (28 June 2009). Written at Bergheim. "Wie das Basketballspiel olympisch wurde" [How basketball became Olympic] (PDF; 125 KB). German Journal of Exercise and Sport Research (in German). Berlin: Springer Science+Business Media. 39 (2): 168–169. doi:10.1007/s12662-009-0038-y. eISSN 2509-3142. ISSN 2509-3150. OCLC 969594964. Springer:s12662-009-0038-y. Retrieved 1 June 2020.

References

1. "Handball-Bundesliga". Die Welt der 80er (in German). Archived from the original on 5 September 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
2. "History". FIBA. Archived from the original on 4 May 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
3. "IOC-Secretary an Maurice Abramovicz" on 22. September 1932 in Olympic Programm 1928-1982
4. "IAHF an das IOC" on 22. December 1932 in Correspondence 1932-1960
5. "3.–Session de 1934 du Comité International Olympique et célébration du 40me anniversaire du Rétablissement des Jeux Olympiques" [1934 session of the International Olympic Committee and celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Restoration of the Olympic Games] (PDF; 13,4 MB). Bulletin officiel du Comité International Olympique (in French). Lausanne: International Olympic Committee (IOC). 9 (25): 6. April 1934. OCLC 313543287. Archived from the original on 4 May 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2020 – via Olympic World Library.
6. "International Federation of Basketball" (PDF; 51,9 MB). Bulletin officiel du Comité International Olympique. Lausanne: International Olympic Committee (IOC). 9 (26bis): 9. October 1934. OCLC 313543287. Archived from the original on 4 May 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2020 – via Olympic World Library.
7. "dass, da man einmal in Stockholm zusammen sei, die Frage sofort entschieden werden sollte und macht den Vorschlag, dass sich 2 Mitglieder von jeder Federation im Anschluss an den Kongress treffen" in "Wie das amerikanische Basketballspiel im nationalsozialistischen Deutschland olympisch wurde"
8. "Die Geschichte des Basketballs" [History of Basketball]. Ramas Welt (in German). 1934. Archived from the original on 25 May 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
9. Barille, Marcel (20 September 1934). "Le Protocole de Stockholm" [The Protocol of Stockholm]. Basket-Ball (in French). Paris: Fédération Française de Basketball. 2 (22): 1–2. ISSN 0755-7337. Retrieved 2 May 2020 – via Gallica.
10. "4.–Session de 1935 du Comité International Olympique" [1935 session of the International Olympic Committee] (PDF; 16 MB). Bulletin officiel du Comité International Olympique (in French). Lausanne: International Olympic Committee (IOC). 9 (27): 6. December 1934. OCLC 313543287. Archived from the original on 4 May 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2020 – via Olympic World Library.
11. "International Federation of Basketball" (PDF; 48,6 MB). Bulletin officiel du Comité International Olympique. Lausanne: International Olympic Committee (IOC). 10 (28bis): 9. May 1935. OCLC 313543287. Archived from the original on 4 May 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2020 – via Olympic World Library.