Today’s world is a highly technological one and sport cannot lag behind as various aids could help different sport disciplines to offer a better product to the ever-competitive spectator market.

In our refereeing world, technology is also increasing in importance and basketball, notably thanks to the continental governing body FIBA Europe, is being a sort of catalyst as it is launching innovative products and aids.

One of the most highly regarded new products is the FIBA referees’ private web site containing various important resources and channels where administrators, referees, commissioners and instructors could easily interact and thus leading to an improvement in the general refereeing level.

It is a fact, and I can vouch for that as I have experienced this system on a first-hand basis, that under the guidance of referee coordinator Spaniard Miguel Betancor, FIBA Europe has been working together with the University of Las Palmas Gran Canaria on an online educational platform for its referees since 2003.

This online educational tool, which I believe is of a very good level albeit, as everything is life, it could always be improved further, has also caught the eye of FIFA.

Just a few weeks ago, FIFA, after analysing FIBA’s experience with the web site, have in fact signed an agreement with the same University of Las Palmas so to the latter provides the same technology in working with their own referees (football referees of course).

FIBA is obviously very satisfied that its own technological project is also going to be used by an organization as large and wide reaching as FIFA.

This only proves that efficient work was done in this regard and now one only hopes that FIFA’s experience will be as successful as FIBA Europe’s.

The FIBA referee web site has revolutionised the way FIBA Europe works with not only their international referees, but also with the national FIBA instructors and FIBA game observers as well.

The platform of this private web site is primarily a resource, containing training videos and animations which allow referees to analyse different situations and articles on all aspects of refereeing.

It has also been summed up and described by top FIBA administrative officials as a key communication tool.

Referees, for example, receive the details of each game they are nominated to officiate online and can communicate directly with each other via the ever lively and active referees’ forum.

In addition, instructors and commissioners can post evaluation reports immediately after each game, thus giving referees constant feedback to their performances throughout the season.

The latest technology was used extensively during the recently held Euro Basket in Serbia & Montenegro to assess referee performance. During the same games, there was also the launch and try-out of the innovative digital score-sheet, a new project currently being developed by FIBA Europe’s referee department.

Looking in retrospective, FIBA Europe has seen many innovations in the past two years with regards to the education and communication with its referees.

From the launch of the FIBA Europe refereeing web site to the presence of referee instructors at all official events, everything is geared towards improving the quality of officiating in international competition.

The referee web site has been a key innovation in how FIBA Europe communicates with its current 360+ referees and each official is provided with a username and password to access the restricted web site.

One of the web site’s primary functions is to inform referees of which games they have been nominated to officiate.

Referees are able to discuss any common issues via the forums and web mail.

As already stated above, in addition to communication, the web site is a valuable educational tool and enables referee instructors to teach officials via online video analysis.

Basketball is constantly evolving and improving and so it important that the level of officiating stays consistent with the level of play.

Merry Xmas

Since this is the last article before the magical day of Christmas, I would like to take the opportunity to wish all readers a Merry Christmas.

Special honest dedications go to all referees who follow this column week after week. Thanks for your support and here’s to wishing that our fraternity keeps growing strong and that each one of us continues to strive hard to offer the very best performances always so that all referees project a positive image based on un-bias and fairness.

In concluding may I present two Christmas related quotes that are very dear to me:

“Remember, if Christmas isn’t found in your heart, you won’t find it under a tree” - Charlotte Carpenter

“My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?” – Bob Hope

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