The VTB United League organized and hosted a refereeing seminar in Moscow from September 29-30. 60 referees from eight countries (Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Finland, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia) participated. League head of officiating Nikolaos Pitsilkas, EuroLeague officiating chief Richard Stokes and EuroLeague referee Luigi Lamonica were the instructors.
The referees underwent an extensive two-day training, discussing changes to the FIBA basketball rules, which take effect on October 1, 2018. Participants were also able to go into detail on modern approaches to officiating, including criteria for contact on regular and unsportsmanlike fouls. EuroLeague referee Luigi Lamonica shared how he prepares for games and manages difficult in-game situations.
League head of officiating Nikolaos Pitsilkas:
– The seminar was held at a high professional level. The information for the referees was presented in a very accessible manner. I’m very happy that such a large number of referees were present at these preseason seminars. I’m grateful to the League management for supporting our work with the referees. It’s wonderful we have an opportunity to organize these seminars and invite well-known professionals to present. I also want to express my gratitude for supporting the idea to hold a refereeing camp.
League general director Ilona Korstin:
– The United League follows all modern trends and carefully tracks changes in various aspects of officiating. FIBA made several changes to the rules of basketball this year and we needed to communicate them to the referees working League games.
Thank you to Richard Stokes, EuroLeague officiating chief, for participating in our seminar. We strive for VTB United League referees to match the level of EuroLeague referees, and for teams and players not to sense any difference in officiating between EuroLeague and FIBA competitions and the VTB United League.
The VTB United League will meet with the coaches tomorrow, October 1.
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