MUNICH (Germany) - The hosts of the 2026 FIBA Youth EuroBaskets and European Championship for Small Countries can already count on invaluable guidance and professional support to help them extract the most out of this summer’s hosting experience.
The national federations and local organizing committees that will play host to these 18 tournaments had the opportunity to participate in an intensive two-day workshop organized by FIBA Europe in Munich following last Thursday’s big draw event.
To amplify the “Players First” theme of the workshop, FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2017 champion and Rio 2016 Olympics silver medalist Leonor Rodriguez, alongside Belgian legend Sam Van Rossom, were entrusted with delivering the key messages to the attendees.
The workshop placed a strong emphasis on FIBA’s Safeguarding Action Plan, with Javier Deshayes, FIBA Senior Players Development and Education Expert, guiding the hosts through key concepts and practical exercises designed to help them identify risks and plan effective mitigation measures.
The 2026 editions of the Youth EuroBaskets and European Championship for Small Countries will be the first since the launch of the FIBA Safeguarding Toolkit and the FIBA Safeguarding Excellence –Single Point of Contact (SPOC) Course, the two major FIBA initiatives which aim to ensure that basketball is played in a safe and supportive environment.
“The workshop has kicked off a months-long process in which we will work hand-in-hand with the hosts in order to prepare the 2026 tournaments. As always, together we will strive to deliver at the highest level of FIBA standards and inspire young players and fans across Europe,” said FIBA Executive Director Europe Kamil Novak.
“This year’s workshop had a sharp focus on Safeguarding and all hosts were eager to discover how they can help strengthen safeguarding practices in our sport. FIBA leads this initiative, but its success depends on the excellent work of our national federations on local level,” Mr. Novak added.
FIBA Players' Experience Venue Coordinator Marc Mulholland moderated the workshop, which also included specialized segments on branding and marketing as well as general competition matters on the first day.
The second day covered a wide array of topics that included media operations, insurance policies, medical practices and sustainability, providing the hosts with the opportunity to delve into the details they deemed more important for their respective tournaments.
This summer’s action in Europe will involve a total of 246 national teams - 130 men's and 116 women's – in the youth EuroBaskets, with a further 10 senior national teams participating in the Small Countries Championship.
FIBA