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THE quest for Australia to finally overcome the USA at the FIBA U19 Women's World Cup in Madrid, Spain in July will see the Gold Medal game played on a glass floor. The Americans have beaten Australia in the past two Finals of the competition, winning Gold nine times since the tournament's 1985 inception.

Australia has drawn Argentina, Spain and France in a very tough Group A, so qualifying for the medal rounds in itself will be challenging.

But the striking new dimension to this year's edition of the U19 World Cup will be the first ever use of an innovative glass flooring court in an official FIBA competition.

This state-of-the-art surface will provide the best young female players and teams in the world the opportunity to be the first to play on it at a flagship FIBA event.

According to the sport's global governing body, the floor has been rigorously tested and gone through FIBA's Equipment and Venue Centre Approval program.

ASB GlassFloor systems already have been utilised in the 3x3 Pro League in the Netherlands and in pre-season German Bundesliga games, as well as other sporting competitions.

The LumiFlex court provided by ASB GlassFloor is a full video floor allowing for interactive applications as well as an enhanced show staging, with additional options for advertising.

It also features the ability to add player tracking to the video floor, making it possible to display live stats and athletic achievements on the floor, providing fans with enhanced interaction and better engagement.

FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis said: "It is with great pride that we look forward to witnessing the premiere of this glass flooring court on the world stage in July. This innovative surface, made possible by the recent rule change, clearly demonstrates FIBA's appetite to embrace new technology and innovation.

"Delivering on one of our strategic priorities, it also underlines just how much FIBA is determined to advance our sport so we can make basketball even more appealing and engaging for fans, while also enhancing the experience for players."

Spanish Basketball Federation President Jorge Garbajosa (right) is thrilled the innovation will be unveiled in Madrid between July 15-23.

"We are very happy and supportive of the decision to use the glass flooring court for this important event, especially as we celebrate our 100th anniversary this year," Garbajosa said.

"As a former player, I know the athletes getting ready to compete at the FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup will now be even more excited knowing they will be the first to play at such a big event on this new state-of-the-art surface."

"As the host nation, we know it can provide us with additional opportunities from a marketing and branding standpoint, both in terms of engaging with commercial partners and enhancing the fan experience."

The use of the glass flooring court was made possible by the decision of the FIBA Central Board last year to implement a rule change allowing the use of LED glass in Level 1 competitions. The glass flooring will be used for all Final Phase games at the Palacio de los Deportes de la Comunidad de Madrid.

Having the host nation in its group will only add to Australia's "degree of difficulty" to advance, although which team it draws in the competition's Final Phase is key.

All 16 teams will advance to the competition's Final Phase, where a straight knock-out format comes into play.

The teams from Group A will face teams from Group B, based on standings within these groups (1st v 4th, 2nd v 3rd) and teams from Group C will face teams from Group D.

In other words, there remains a chance Australia could meet the USA as early as in the Final Phase.

The groupings are: Group A: Argentina, Spain, Australia and France
Group B: Mali, Germany, Chinese Taipei and USA
Group C: Japan, Lithuania, Brazil and Italy
Group D: Egypt, Canada, China and Czech Republic

Five different countries have won the FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup since its 1985 inception, the reigning champion USA leading the field with nine titles, including eight of the past nine editions.