FIBA’s Referee Operations tasks include the overall operational planning of refereeing-related activities, updating Basketball Rules in cooperation with other stakeholders, licensing FIBA referees and commissioners every two years, licensing Table Officials, the overall evaluation of officiating in FIBA Competitions, and analyzing the officiating statistics and basketball trends.

Referee Operations also develops and runs multiple educational and training programs, including Referee Instructor Programs, the Elite Referee Program and a program dedicated to female FIBA Referees. We use our online tools, iRef Academy Learning Platform, iRef Library App and Pre-game App, to share information with the basketball community. For example, all our manuals and guidelines are freely available on the iRef Library App.

The most visible part of our work is of course taking care of the officiating in main FIBA Competitions. It is almost a year-long process that starts with selecting the referee group, preparing and conducting the Pre-Competition Program and Clinic, including fitness preparations, and coordinating all the travel, insurance, and accommodation details with our Competition department. This is all done prior to the start of the competitions. During the competition, we analyze the games with and for our referees and provide support in day-to-day matters.

FIBA Referee Operations uses several tools to share and distribute official material, educate, and train game officials, and provide support for better refereeing.

Let’s take a deeper look into our online tools.