A total of 38 officials from 28 countries across FIBA's five continental zones will be taking charge of the matches during the tournament, scheduled to take place from August 30 to September 14.

The average age of the referees is 38, with the youngest being 27-year-old Yevgeniy Mikheyev of Kazakhstan, while 50-year-old Juan Arteaga is the oldest and is one of four referees from host country Spain.

All of those selected have been carefully monitored through various competitions, according to FIBA, and have between three and 20 years of experience as top-level referees.

"This group of referees has been carefully selected and brings the highest standards of officiating that is to be expected for basketball's biggest competition," said FIBA head of refereeing Carl Jungebrand.

Through the FIBA Referees Intranet, the 38 men were given a rigorous 20-week preparation programme that saw them undergo a special physical training course, while they also monitored and studied video clips as well as worked on important aspects such as game management and team-work.

The officials will come together for a two-day camp on August 28 and 29 in Madrid on the eve of the start of the tournament.

During the competition, each of the 76 games will be analysed by referees' supervisors using selected video footage and providing feedback to the referees, with the aim of ensuring that each and every call is analysed by FIBA's Referee Department.

Thirty-eight referees will officiate a total of 76 games at the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain ©FIBA



The United States are the reigning Basketball World Cup champions having defeated hosts Turkey in the final of the 2010 tournament in Istanbul.

The 14-time Olympic champions have been drawn in Group C for this year's World Cup and are one of 24 teams taking part in competition across six Spanish cities - Barcelona, Bilbao, Gran Canaria, Granada, Madrid and Seville.

They will take on Dominican Republic, Finland, New Zealand, Turkey and Ukraine.

Hosts Spain are in Group A up against Brazil, Egypt, European champions France and two-time world champions Serbia.

Group B features Argentina, Croatia, Greece, Philippines, Puerto Rico and Senegal, while Group D is made up of African champions Angola, Australia, Lithuania, Mexico, Slovenia and South Korea.

To view a full list of referees for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, click here.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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