POSTOJNA (Slovenia) – Every single edition of the FIBA European Women’s Basketball Summit has been special, but the 2026 edition of the now well-established event in Postojna represented a true milestone.
This summer’s Summit marked the 20-year anniversary since the launch of this event that has redefined career launching opportunities for female basketball coaches and referees from all over Europe.
The 19th edition - the Summit didn’t take place in 2020 due to the pandemic – got underway on July 7 and came to a close on July 11.
A total of 46 participants, split into 21 coaches and 25 referees, came from almost every corner of Europe to Postojna to be a part of this year’s landmark event.
The list of FIBA Instructors for the 2026 edition included battle-tested professionals in both branches.
The coaching instructors were Stella Katsidou, the former Greek international who led the London Lions to a EuroCup Women title shortly after starting her coaching career; French coach Camille Aubert, who was an assistant to Valerie Garnier at Fenerbahce's EuroLeague Women-winning side in 2024; and Milena Moulisova, who is the Head of Youth Development at the Czech Basketball Federation.
Meanwhile French FIBA Referee Instructor Chantal Julien and Portuguese FIBA Referee Instructor Sonia Teixeira were in charge of putting the 25 participants of the referee branch through their paces, and FIBA Psychologist Dubravka Martinovic delivered a master class online.
The four-day Summit included a wide range of activities which aimed to balance the theoretical with the practical side. All participants attended specialized workshops and clinics, but there were also role-play exercises.
The instructors put special emphasis on rules interpretation, game analysis, scouting, 3-point officiating, and physical preparation.
The practical exercises were conducted with the help of the players on the Slovenian U16 women’s national team, and referee participants had the chance to officiate actual 5-on-5 games.
As in every previous edition, on the Summit’s final day the instructors selected five coaches and three referees to participate in the upcoming season’s Mentoring Program.
.The coaches who were chosen as mentees for the 2026-27 season are EuroLeague Women champion Tereza Vyoralova from Czechia; Lisa-Marie Gewald from Germany; Vanja Mudresa from Montenegro; Elaine Scally from Ireland and Josipa Silov from Croatia.
On the referee side, the selected participants are Jennifer Schuster from Germany, Dalma Sellei from Hungary and Oliwia Tobola from Poland.
The mentees will take part in virtual webinars and receive individual mentoring throughout the year, while they will also travel to events to work closely with their mentors.
FIBA