PIRAEUS (Greece) – While the players of Belgium, Spain, Italy and France were gearing up for their podium battles on the final weekend of the FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2025, a stone throw’s away from the Peace and Friendship Stadium another group of highly-motivated women, representing 31 different countries, was preparing to pass a different kind of final basketball test.
For the 38 participants in the third edition of WiLEAD, this highly successful FIBA Women’s EuroBasket was the glamorous background to their own graduation.
WiLEAD 3.0, the visionary program for women who aspire to gain leadership roles in basketball organizations, held its final workshop in conjunction with the Women’s EuroBasket, with FIBA Europe President Jorge Garbajosa and FIBA Executive Director Europe Kamil Novak attending the graduation of the participants.
The final assignment of the two-day workshop involved pitching a business idea to a panel of potential investors, in a set-up reminiscent of TV show Shark Tank and supported by Molten, FIBA’s longest-standing global partner.
The two teams that aced the assignment were rewarded with a trip to the FIBA Women’s World Cup 2026 in Berlin, courtesy of Molten.
The third edition of WiLEAD had started off in January with a workshop in Munich, and continued over six months with online webinars led by expert coaches and trainers. It also featured keynote speeches by various women in leadership positions such as Carlota Castrejana, member of the World Athletics Governance Commission, or Amanda Jenkins, FIBA Executive Director Oceania.
Developed by FIBA Europe and running every other year in alignment with the FIBA Women's EuroBasket, WiLEAD is a star component of one of FIBA's strategic priorities - Women in Basketball. The development program aims to help increase gender diversity in all governing bodies, at both the FIBA and National Federation levels.
FIBA