The Referees nominated to this year’s EuroBasket tournaments for Men & Women met collectively in Chalkida in Athens to prepare themselves for the forthcoming games.

Prior to the meeting, the referees were told that this would be unlike any previous clinic that they may have attended, and once there the workload that they undertook was intensive and demanding.

Led by the Head of the Referees Dept Miguel Betancor, groups of referees and instructors were set tasks that included defining the current interpretations and philosophies as laid down by the World Technical Commission.

		FIBA Europe President George Vassilakopoulos at the EuroBasket Referee clinic

Betancor commented, “It is essential that all of the players coaches and fans are able to see a consistent approach and application from our officials. Rather than asking the referee to just know the rule, we are challenging them to understand why the rule exists and for what reason. Only with a better and deeper understanding of basketball can we expect or referees to improve. We must understand the sport before we successfully apply the rules, whether in two or three person officiating”.

With the sessions taking up all of the day the referees felt it necessary to work well into the night in their groups, and Richard Stokes from the Referee & Competitions Depart praised their hard work.

“We are seeing a new generation of referees emerging alongside our more experienced ones, but the biggest change is in their desire to learn and to prepare themselves as much as possible. This is made easier with the development of our dedicated website, but the use of technology here for the first time with all the materials available for our referees on laptops, facilitates a great learning process”.

The referees also received advice and workshops on mechanics, plus communication and the need for physical preparation. Physical training sessions were organised each morning, for all referees and staff, and it is planned to extend this as well as physiological advice to all referees in the future.

However the biggest aspect of this meeting was the emphasis on teamwork. Not just by the officials on the floor, but by all the referees who will be at the summer's EuroBaskets and by all FIBA Europe referees.

“We need improvement in this aspect as well”, commented Betancor, “but we have seen it here this weekend, both in the physical aspects as well as in the theory sessions. We need to improve as a group if we are to raise the standard of officiating across Europe and that is our main goal, to give the best officiating to the players and coaches”.

"This is the second time we have had a clinic solely for those referees nominated for EuroBasket," added FIBA Europe Secretary General Nar Zanolin, who was also present in Chalkida.

"It was a concept we introduced in 2003 and it has proved to be successful. I'm sure it will become a fixed date in our calendar before all EuroBaskets in the future."