HERAKLION (Greece) - The curtain fell on the eighth edition of the FIBA Europe Coaching Certificate (FECC) on July 16 with a ceremony that saw 44 coaches graduate from the program.

The FECC is structured around clinics and lectures held during the FIBA European Youth Championships with the 2021-2023 cycle concluding at the FIBA U20 European Championship 2023.

FIBA Europe President Jorge Garbajosa and FIBA Executive Director Europe Kamil Novak attended the official graduation ceremony in Heraklion, Greece, and presented the graduates with their certificates.

"The FECC is a prestigious program and it was great to see first hand the dedication and commitment of the participating coaches," commented Mr. Garbajosa.

Mr. Novak added: "We are pleased to see the ongoing high interest in the program and the increase of the women's participation to 33 percent."

Jose Matias Camino Lopez from Spain, Gilda Correia  from Portugal, Gaelle Bouzin from Belgium and Giovanni Battista Gerometta from Italy were the four graduates who earned the 'best of the class' distinction.

FIBA Basketball World Cup and FIBA EuroBasket winner Svetislav Pesic was again on hand this year for the final part of this edition alongside Bayern Munich's newly appointed head coach Pablo Laso and Spanish coaching great Pedro Martinez.

"I am happy to be back at the FECC. I missed the great environment of the program," commented coach Laso. "Whenever I can make it possible I am ready to support this great education program."

The program offers a unique opportunity to up to 60 coaches to learn from some of the most successful and highly respected tacticians in the world, while also expanding their knowledge of related disciplines. Not only is there a focus on the identification and development of young talent, but also a chance to network with fellow coaches with the certificate helping to unlock potential employment opportunities.

While the FECC does not issue a coaching license, it is still a highly valued extra qualification and represents an important step towards obtaining further certification. All participants in the program are nominated by their respective National Federations from across Europe.

The first stage of the eighth edition took place during the FIBA U16 European Championship 2021, the second during the FIBA U18 European Championship 2022 and the final part during the FIBA U20 European Championship 2023.

The next cycle is ready to start a with a new generation of basketball coaches at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2023 in Skopje, North Macedonia in August to commence the ninth edition.

For more information about the FIBA Europe Coaching Certificate, click here.

FIBA