ISTANBUL (FIBA EuroBasket 2017) - The 25^th team at FIBA EuroBasket 2017 - the referees - have put the finishing touches on their preparations ahead of tip-off on Thursday.

The 40 referees responsible for officiating this year's FIBA EuroBasket have just completed a four-day training camp in Istanbul - host city of Group D and the Final Phase.

With referees coming in from around the globe for Europe's premier basketball event, the key topics touched on were team-building, communication, and both mental and physical preparation.

In terms of rule interpretation and ensuring the same level of understanding for all referees, the technical topics focused upon were unsportsmanlike fouls; 'verticality' in the act of shooting; flopping; and player behavior towards referees.

"The FIBA EuroBasket officiating team includes FIBA referees from 29 countries, seven of whom even come from countries outside of Europe," explained Head of FIBA Referee Department Europe, Davorin Nakic. He continued: "FIBA EuroBasket is a great example of the new FIBA global officiating program, in which FIBA referees from all over the world can officiate any FIBA competitions."

All referees throughout the tournament will come under as much scrutiny from the FIBA officiating staff - as they will no doubt come under from fans - with the latest technology available used to analyze every one of their performances.

FIBA