A historic feat for the Haitian Basketball Federation
For the first time in the history of the organization established and certified by FIBA in 1970, the Haitian Basketball Federation (FHB) will have five FIBA certified table officials starting this year.
PORT AU PRINCE (Haiti) – For the first time in the history of the organization established and certified by FIBA in 1970, the Haitian Basketball Federation (FHB) will have five FIBA certified table officials starting this year.
Jean Alex Germain, Jean Benjamin Souffrant, Angie Calin, Florence Wilda Joseph and Yves Henry Augustin met all course requisites and approved the final evaluation to get their table officials license.
In 2018 the Haitian program submitted 13 participants for evaluation. However, none of them could move forward at the time. Nonetheless, this year the FHB proposed six other candidates, among whom are five approved candidates and another one that must repeat the test at another time.
Having FIBA certified table officials was one of the federation’s objectives. In Haiti, table officials are often overlooked even though their work is essential for the refereeing system.
Candidates were recommended by Marc Rony Louis, a FIBA instructor for the Haitian Federation and who, in August, organized several training sections to maximize the opportunities for success of the six participants.
“This certification is an excellent opportunity for our table officials. This is the result of a training program established in the past two years by the federal office, the National Technical Department and the National Committee of Referees and Table Officials,” said Louis, who's also a member of the FHB’s National Committee of Referees and Table Officials.
Launched more than five years ago by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), the FIBA Table Officials’ certification is paramount for the federations affiliated to FIBA.
The FIBA International Table Officials Programme (FITOP) is designed to guarantee high-quality officials in FIBA competitions at a national and international level.
This achievement joins other initiatives led by the FHB and President Henri Joseph Jean to restructure the organization and position it as a pillar of basketball in the region after a 37-year absence. During this process, Haiti already has NBA talents in their ranks, such as Skal Labissière, of the Portland Trail Blazers; and assistant coach Matt Brasse, of the Houston Rockets.
FIBA