Opening of a Basketball Referees Beginners’ Course at Birzeit University in Cooperation with the Palestinian Basketball Federation and Sponsored by "Jawwal"
Birzeit – A beginners’ basketball referees course was inaugurated this morning at Birzeit University, organized by the Palestinian Basketball Federation in cooperation with the university and sponsored by Jawwal. The event was attended by Federation President Ibrahim Habash, Dr. Iyad Yousef representing the university, Federation Secretary General Fares Awwad, and around thirty university students and interested participants from outside the university.
In his opening remarks, Habash welcomed the attendees and expressed his happiness with this fruitful cooperation with Birzeit University, highlighting its positive impact on supporting Palestinian sports in general and basketball in particular. He emphasized that training new referees is a key step toward building a young officiating base capable of developing the sport, and that these skills could represent a promising career path for students following proper training and development.
Dr. Iyad Yousef praised the collaboration with the Federation, pointing out the importance of the course for students of the Faculty of Physical Education, as it provides them with practical opportunities to refine their skills and enhance their future career prospects in sports officiating.
The course is taught by international referee and lecturer Bassam Thabet, who offers participants a comprehensive introduction to refereeing, including key principles and rules essential for new referees. He also prepares them for a professional development path in both national and international officiating.
The course spans eight weeks, with four weeks of theoretical lectures followed by four weeks of practical training, all held on Sundays from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
This initiative is part of the Federation’s strategy to train a new generation of young referees and enhance the capacity of sports professionals, contributing to the overall development of the Palestinian basketball infrastructure.
