POSTOJNA (Slovenia) – The two-decade anniversary of the FIBA European Women’s Basketball Summit called for a special celebration on July 10 in the scenic town of Postojna, that has provided the stage for the Summit ever since its launch.
The continued success of the Summit, which FIBA Europe has organized in collaboration with the Slovenian Basketball Federation (KZS) over the past 20 years, has seen it become an integral component of FIBA’s Women in Basketball strategy.
During this period, more than 1,500 participants - among coaches, referees and players - representing 45 different European countries, have attended the Postojna Summit.
FIBA Europe President Jorge Garbajosa, FIBA Executive Director Europe Kamil Novak and FIBA Hall of Fame inductee and Summit mentor Natalia Hejkova headlined the list of distinguished personalities in attendance at the celebratory activity.
The occasion was ideal to reveal the new visual identity and logo of the Summit, as the event aimed to provide a hint of future aspirations at the same time it celebrated the first two decades of success.
The most emotional moment of the anniversary however was conjured thanks to the testimonials of past participants who started their international career in Postojna and went on to reach the highest stages.
As many as 30 women from across Europe evoked their memories of the event in a specially produced video, including the likes of two-time FIBA Women’s EuroBasket champion and Olympic silver medalist Marina Maljkovic, German international Marie Gülich, Lithuanian star Juste Jocyte, EuroLeague Women champion Marija Lekovic or international FIBA referees Ariadna Chueca and Viola Gyorgyi.
“When FIBA Europe launched this visionary project 20 years ago, platforms dedicated to the development of women in basketball at international level were almost non-existent,” Mr. Garbajosa said in his speech to the participants and guests.
“It was a bold and ambitious idea, but it fulfilled a real need that already existed. Women all over Europe who wanted to serve our sport as players, coaches or referees shared this need.
“This explains why the Summit was embraced from the very first moment, with no less than 25 National Federations sending representatives that first summer.”
The 2026 edition was the 19th of the Summit, as it didn’t take place in 2020 due to the pandemic.
During the first years and up until 2019, each National Federation in Europe could nominate one female coach, one female referee and two female U15 players as participants. When the event resumed in 2021, FIBA Europe shifted the focus of the event to mentoring support for coaches and referees.
FIBA