ATHENS (Greece) – There is probably no better place to hold an open forum than the city where the concept of public debate was invented, and certainly no better time to hold a discussion on women’s leadership in basketball than when European Women’s hoops is basking in the limelight.
That was exactly the case with the FIBA-organized Forum entitled Women LEAD in Basketball, that took place in Athens on the eve of the FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2025 final day in nearby Piraeus.
“Stronger Together - Cultivating a Culture of Inclusion and Growth” was the motto chosen to underpin the event. The Forum was designed to inspire, empower, and equip participants with the tools to embed equity and inclusion into the core of their organizations.
Belgian legend Ann Wauters, who since retiring from basketball has embarked on a new career as a motivational speaker and writer, teamed up with Chatilla van Grinsven, the Dutch former basketball player and current TV sports analyst, to make up a formidable duo of moderators that steered discussion all evening.
FIBA Europe President Jorge Garbajosa kicked off proceedings with a welcome address and then SportIris President & CEO Iris Vlachoutsicos, a former elite fencing athlete, delivered the first keynote speech, entitled “The MVP Mindset - Shaping Organization Culture for Growth”.
The panel discussion on the topic that followed featured FIBA Europe Board member and FIBA Chair of the Competitions’ Commission Edgars Sneps; French Basketball Federation Secretary General Thierry Balestrière; Olympic Games Competition Manager Ourania Vrondou; and FIBA Europe Board member and Spanish Basketball Federation President Elisa Aguilar.
Marijke Fleuren-Van Walsem, Honorary President of EuroHockey (EHF) and member of honor of the International Hockey Federation (FIH), delivered the second keynote speech, that focused on turning insights into action and on practical tools and initiatives to build sustainable, inclusive cultures.
The second keynote prompted Noa Hasegawa, Head of Brand Marketing at Molten, FIBA’s longest-standing global partner, to engage into an enlightening panel discussion with Hellenic Federation Board member and FIBA Europe Women Equality Commission member Annie Konstantinidou, Casademont Zaragoza coach Jorge Aguaron and Frédérique Martin-Basté, Head of Partnership Management at FIBA Marketing.
The curtain fell on the Forum discussions with a message by FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis.
The evening concluded with the 38 graduates of WiLEAD 3.0, that ended in conjunction with the FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2025, receiving their certificates of participation and Mr. Hasegawa presenting the winners of the program’s final workshop with a prize trip to the FIBA Women’s World Cup 2026, in Berlin.
FIBA