POSTOJNA (Slovenia) - The 2022 edition of the Women's Basketball Summit which took place in Slovenian town Postojna in July was the gathering's 15th reiteration, further enhancing its reputation as a firmly established event in the European basketball development calendar.

Furthermore, the 2022 summit represented the culmination of the two-year Erasmus Project 'Empowering the next generation of female coaches and referees' which FIBA Europe devised and implemented with the support of the European Union's Erasmus+ scheme.

The aim of the project was to provide the group of coaches and referees that were selected at the 2021 edition with an intensive nine-month mentoring program during the basketball season. The success of the mentoring program has led FIBA Europe to integrate it into its wider Women in Basketball Strategy for the coming years, outside of the Erasmus scope.

The mentors and mentees of the mentoring program were invited to Postojna, to provide feedback on their experience, as part of the culmination of the Erasmus+ project.

Serbia national team head coach Marina Maljkovic and referee instructor Jasmina Juras delivered their reporting as mentors of the program, while FIBA referee from Sweden Sara Manson and coach Irene Otamiri from Sweden reported on the program from the viewpoint of mentees.

The distinguished guest speakers at the 2022 edition of the summit included FIBA sports psychologist Dubravka Martinovic, former Kenya men's national team head coach Liz Mills, FIBA Europe Officiating Head Davorin Nakic, FECC Instructor Janez Drvaric, Barcelona Girls' Academy coach Silvia Font, FIBA coach instructor Albena Branzova and FIBA Europe referee instructor Maja Vukanovic.

The list of participants at the summit was comprised of 20 referees and 20 coaches, representing between them a total of 28 different European countries. The main activities for the referees included clinics, physical preparation, 3PO mechanics, 3x3 and 5x5 officiating techniques, and of course game discussions and feedback.

Meanwhile, the coaches focused mainly on the clinics and on-court coaching principles. The coaches that were selected for the new 2022-23 mentoring program are Longin Korana from Croatia, Milda Sauliute from Lithuania, Alina Alexandra Serban from Romania and Vesna Dzuver from Serbia.

FIBA