MIES (Switzerland) - The third cycle of FIBA Game Officials Licensing gets underway this month with a special emphasis on the promotion of female referees.

There is also a new timeline for candidates to register for the 2021-23 cycle.

The registration period begins October 15, 2020, and runs until March 31, 2021, and it is during this time when candidates must be registered, tested and ultimately verified. The list of approved FIBA Game Officials will be announced by mid-June 2021 and the Licensed Period 2021-23 will commence on September 1, 2021. 

The commitment to female referees is being made as part of the Women in Basketball strategic objective. FIBA has allocated dedicated License allocations for female referees to each eligible National Federation.

FIBA Game Officials Licenses are awarded every two years and are given in the categories of Black, Green and White, which entitle referees to officiate international games for women, men and juniors on global, continental, regional and sub-regional levels.

The Licensing program sets out to build and promote excellence in refereeing. The two-year cycle allows for regular quality control and gives new opportunities for emerging referees and National Federations. Licensed referees receive standard training from qualified FIBA Instructors.

Carl Jungebrand, FIBA Head of Refereeing, said: "We are excited to enter this third cycle of the FIBA Game Officials Licensing, which is marked by FIBA's strategic objective, Women in Basketball. We are working closely with the regional offices mapping out the current situation and the future potential to bring more female game officials on board. Of course, we remain dedicated to increasing the involvement from our National Federation members in the development of all game officials and to keep raising the standard of basketball officiating worldwide".   

The first two periods of FIBA Game Officials Licensing, 2017-2019 and 2019-2021, were successful, producing over 800 international referees and 300 commissioners in each cycle.

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FIBA