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Referees Panther, Tsaroucha make basketball history

History was made in the 7DAYS EuroCup this week when Frutti Extra Bursaspor hosted Gran Canaria on Wednesday. The game marked the first time in the top level men’s European club basketball competitions that two female referees officiated a game together.

Anne Panther and Vasiliki Tsaroucha were joined by Kristaps Konstantinovs to officiate the Round 5 contest, which saw the visiting team triumph 74-85.

Panther has been a Euroleague referee since 2016 and became the first woman ever to officiate a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four game at the 2019 edition in Vitoria-Gasteiz.

“To see a female colleague next to you on the court is a very rewarding experience that I hope will be commonplace in the future,” Panther said of the game.

After a 22-year playing career, which also saw her represent the Greek national team in the Mediterranean Games, Tsaroucha became a referee. This is her third season as a Euroleague Basketball referee.

“It was a true honor to join Anne and Kristaps to officiate that EuroCup game,” Tsaroucha said. “Anne is one of the main references when talking about top-level officiating and having the opportunity to learn from her experience is always outstanding.”

Panther and Tsaroucha follow in the steps of Anna Cardus, who retired after the 206-17 season. She was the first woman to ever officiate in Euroleague Basketball competitions back in 2004.

“It shouldn´t be a surprise to see Anne and Vasiliki officiating together one of our games”, stated Richard Stokes, Euroleague Basketball senior director of officiating “They have both already proven themselves capable of officiating in our competitions and have demonstrated the standards and commitment that are required to work at this level. Their development has been further enhanced from the experience they developed during their player career, providing them with valuable insights of how the game is played.”

Euroleague Basketball (EB) is a global leader in the sports and entertainment business, devoted to running the top European competitions of professional basketball clubs under a unique and innovative organizational model. Owned and administered by some of the most successful and historic clubs in the world, EB manages and organizes the continent’s two premier men’s basketball competitions, the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and the 7DAYS EuroCup, as well as the sport’s premier under-18 showcase, the EB Adidas Next Generation Tournament.

The EB competitions bring the elite of European basketball to all five continents and to the entire sports community through the OTT platform EuroLeague TV. EB also organizes a series of community and educational programs. Its ground-breaking corporate social responsibility program One Team features all EB clubs that have already made a difference in the lives of over 22,000 participants. Its Sports Business MBA trains future professionals in sports management.