By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Euroleague Basketball has launched an innovative AI-powered referee nomination system to maximize transparency, efficiency, and objectivity when assigning officials for the upcoming 2026–27 season.
Additional details were shared on Monday.
Per the press release: “Euroleague Basketball is pleased to announce the introduction of a new referee nomination system that will determine referee crews for each round of both the EuroLeague and BKT EuroCup.
The new automated system, developed using the latest artificial intelligence technology, processes a broad range of criteria established by the Euroleague Basketball Officiating Department, including referee hierarchy, competition calendar, previous assignments, workload and game context.
By analyzing all available information, the system applies 14 different rules grouped into three key areas: sporting criteria, calendar and workload management, and integrity. This allows the system to establish the most appropriate referee assignments for every game on each competition day.
The 14 rules cover a range of factors, including crew structure, referee hierarchy, assignment frequency, workload, nationality mix and team repetition, among others.
“Technology gives us the opportunity to take the referee assignment process to another level, allowing us to analyze a very large amount of information and apply a consistent set of criteria to every game,” said Daniel Hierrezuelo, Euroleague Basketball Officiating Director. “Our objective is to use innovation to support the work of our referees, optimize the distribution of assignments and workload throughout the season, and ensure that every relevant factor is taken into consideration when forming each crew.”
The introduction of the new system represents another step in Euroleague Basketball’s ongoing commitment to innovation and the continuous improvement of its competition processes. It is designed to support a balanced distribution of referee assignments while maintaining the highest standards of consistency, transparency and impartiality.
The new referee nomination system was successfully implemented for the first time for Round 1 of the EuroLeague and will be introduced in the BKT EuroCup from the opening round next week.”
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