The difficult calls were the point: participants worked through how revised provisions would apply once a game was underway.
The October 9 workshop ran from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the UAE Basketball Association headquarters at the National Olympic Committee, with every first-division club taking part.
Match scenarios put the changes to work
Al Blooshi drew examples from games to show how the updates apply in practice. Participants raised technical and legal questions about managing matches.
Before the event, the UAE Basketball Association said it wanted referees and coaches to apply the revised rules consistently in the new season. It also sought closer alignment among technical and administrative staff, Al Bayan reported.
The association said practical reviews could reduce differences in how officials interpret refereeing situations and help clubs prepare for official matches, An-Nahar reported. The workshop gave participants a chance to test those interpretations against match scenarios before the changes reached local competition.
Part of the association's FIBA programme
Technical secretary Qasim Al Hamwi supervised the workshop. It formed part of the association's periodic training programme, which keeps staff abreast of FIBA updates. The revised rules took effect on October 1, 2026, eight days before the seminar.
The 2026 revisions divide technical fouls into categories 1 and 2; only category 1 counts toward the accumulation that can lead to disqualification. The former unsportsmanlike-foul term was replaced by disruptive foul, for an offence interrupting a game situation, and flagrant foul, for a serious, dangerous or excessive offence. Two flagrant fouls, two category-1 technical fouls, or a combination of the two result in a player's disqualification.
