- European Seniors Basketball Association (ESBA)
REGULATIONS for Championship Albufeira’23 Open (pdf)
Remark! Some changes can be applied here below later in accordance to Portuguese government rules in target to manage event healthy and safety.
I. GENERAL REGULATIONS
European Championship Albufeira’23 Open allows participation for teams from all over the world.
1. The rules of the current Regulations apply for the Championship organized by ESBA.
2. Every player, coach, team manager, the Championship organizers and any official attendant shall fulfill and honor all and every ESBA Regulations and ESBA Rules.
3. The Championship management:
a. ESBA Board;
b. ESBA Director;
d. Local Organizing Committee (LOC);
e. Head referee;
f. Technical Committee and Jury Appeal;
g. Commissioner.
4. The official language of the Championship is English. Any other language may be used by consensus. In case of doubt the English language shall prevail.
5. The deadline of the teams’ registration is April 15, 2023.
6. LIVE statistics will be available during all games of the Championship.
7. The official game ball of the Championship will be announced at least 2 months before the Championship. Balls will be provided by Organizers.
II. AGE CATEGORIES
8. Age categories are as follows:
a. Women: 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55 and 60 years and over;
b. Men: 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70 and 75 years and over.
9. Age determined on December 31 of the Championship year, except:
a. One younger player (younger but no more than one year; age determined on December 31, 2023) could be added to the following age categories:
• Women 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60 years and over;
• Men 60, 65 years and over.
b. Two younger players (younger but no more than one year; age determined on December 31, 2023) could be added to the following age categories:
• Men 70 and 75 years and over.
10. No player is allowed to play in more than one team and in more than one category at the Championship.
III. PARTICIPANTS
11. Participants include: all players, coaches, team managers, delegates, referees, journalists, companions, event governors and staff.
IV. PLAYERS AND THEIR ELIGIBILITY
12.Every player has to be in possession of an ESBA-issued Player ID e-Card (an electronic card), valid for all ESBA Championships. It confirms his/her eligibility to play in the respective age category.
13. The Player ID e-Card indicates the player’s name, surname and date of birth alongside a personal photo. This information is identical to the player’s profile on the ESBA official website. Player’s personal photo is mandatory.
14. Only players in possession of an ESBA Player ID e-Card will be admitted to the game.
15. Only players, signed a Waiver of Liability, will be admitted to the game.
V. TEAM MANAGER
16. Team manager (he/she can also be one of the team’s players) is responsible for the signing of Waiver of Liability by every Team’s player.
17. Team manager is responsible for the accurate registration (by email) of the players before the start of the Championship (File of “Team Application form” is downloadable in the ESBA official website under INFO>Download).
18. Team Manager will receive Player ID e-Cards for all registered/approved players in PDF format as a confirmation of their eligibility. Note! Team manager DO NOT need to print them out prior the Championship, as they are electronic cards and consist of the same data as the players’ profiles on the ESBA official website.
19. Team manager is responsible for issuing of the Player ID e-Card for players not already in possession of one. The following information about these players must be sent by email to ESBA, not later than 30 days before the Championship:
a. Player’s name, surname, date of birth;
b. Player’s photo/portrait (taken by camera or mobile phone);
c. scanned colorful copy of a valid passport or certificate of identification;
20. Twenty (20) minutes before each game, Team manager has to provide to table officials the correct players’ uniforms numbers for that game in order to avoid of any misunderstanding for LIVE statistics during the game and all Championship.
VI. COMPOSITION OF A TEAM
21. The Team can consist of up to 15 Team members.
22. The Team members are players, coach and one compulsory position – Team manager.
Note! Coach and/or Team manager can also be one of the team’s players.
23. The Team must have a minimum of 7 players.
24. The Team can consist of 15 players only, including playing coach and playing Team manager, but only 12 players can attend a game.
25. No restrictions of players’ nationality in a team, however, each team must represent an officially recognized country.
26. Player, coach or team manager may participate as a referee during the Championship, except the games in the same age category as his/her team takes part.
VII. REGISTRATION
27. Team manager and/or other representative person of a team (max 2 persons from every team) is/are obligated to make the registration of the team scheduled a day before the first day of the Championship.
28. Team manager has to present the final version of Team Application form and the signed Team’s Waiver of Liability to the Commissioner.
29. The last corrections of teams’ rosters can be done during the registration.
VIII. COMPETITION FORMAT AND SCHEDULE
30. The competition may be held in one or more groups depending on the number of registered teams in every category. Groups will be formed by drawing. The system of competition will be announced a week after team registration deadline.
a. each country may enter up to 3 teams in each category. In the event of possible fixtures, ESBA may authorize the entry of more teams per category.
31. The Championship will be played within 7 days (6 game days plus 1 rest day).
32. All teams will play a minimum of four (4) and a maximum of six (6) games during the Championship.
33. Every team shall play no more than one game a day and no more than three days in a row.
34. The game schedule will be published within 21 days of the team registration deadline.
35. There shall not be any change of date or game, nor any reschedule of games for any reason later than 7 days before the Championship.
NOTICE: No country may be worthy for both 1st and 2nd place awards in the same category.
The teams of a country participating in the same category must eliminate each other, so that only one maximum team may reach the final regardless of the pools from which they come and their location in them.
IX. CLASSIFICATION OF TEAMS
36. Teams shall be classified according to their win-loss records – 2 (two) points for each game won, 1 (one) point for each game lost (including lost by default) and 0 (zero) points for a game lost by forfeit.
37. If there are 2 (two) or more teams in the classification with equal points, the result(s) of the game(s) between the teams involved will be used to determine the placing.
38. If the points and the goal average in the games between the 2 (two) or more teams are still the same, the classification will be determined by the goal average of all the games played in the group by each team.
39. A team which, without valid reason, fails to show up for a scheduled game or withdraws from the playing court before the end of the game, shall lose the game by forfeit and receive 0 (zero) points in the classification.
X. SUSPENSION OF GAMES
40. A game suspended due to any reason once started or prior its start shall not be rescheduled. The Technical Committee shall decide on the corresponding sanctions and the result.
41. There shall not be any changes in dates or games and no rescheduling of games for any reason once the tournament starts and when the game schedule is already settled.
XI. PLAYING RULES
42. Basic playing rules:
a. Warm-up – 15 minutes;
b. Playing time – 4 x 10 minutes;
c. 24 second clock will be used;
d. Half-time interval – 10 minutes;
e. Intervals between 1st & 2nd and 3rd & 4th quarters – 2 minutes;
f. Each team may request three timeouts during the first and second half with a maximum of two per quarter;
g. In the event of a tie, a five-minute overtime period will be played. Overtime periods will continue until a winner is determined. Overtime shall have one time-out per team. Interval between overtimes – 2 minutes.
43. Sanctions of use of ineligible player(s):
a. First infraction: the game is awarded to the opponents of the offending team. If the offending team lost the actual game by more than twenty (20) points, the result shall stand; if not then the game shall be awarded to the opponents of the offending team by a score of twenty to zero (20:0). In either case, the offending team shall receive zero (0) points in the classification;
b. Second infraction: the team shall be disqualified for the remainder of that competition.
44. Any playing rule not expressly modified herein, shall be governed by the valid Official Basketball Rules as approved by FIBA.
XII. EXCEPTIONS OF RULES FOR UPPER CATEGORIES
45. The men categories of 65+ and older and women category of 55+ and older will be played by standard rules except teams will have 10-seconds for transposing the middle court and the 24-seconds clock will start when it happens.
XIII. PLAYERS UNIFORM COLORS
46. All teams should have two sets of competition uniforms (dark and light). The first team listed on the schedule will be designated as the home team and will wear the light-colored uniforms. The second team listed on the schedule will be designated the visiting team and will wear the dark uniforms. However, if the two teams involved agree, they may interchange the colors of the uniform.
XIV. THE AWARDS OF CHAMPIONSHIP
47. Each member of the team placed 1st to 3rd in each age category will be presented by medals of respective ranking.
48. The best teams in each category shall receive a Champions’ Cup.
49. The most valuable players (MVP) of each category will be awarded.
50. The individual nominations (best scorer, most rebounds and best assists) in every category will be announced after the Championship in the ESBA website based on statistics.
XV. HEAD REFEREE
51. The Head referee is appointed by ESBA and will be:
a. The coordinator of the referees and officiating table;
b. The technical chief during the tournament;
c. The person sending to the Technical Committee the referees’ reports.
XVI. COMMISSIONER
52. The Commissioner(s) is/are appointed by ESBA.
53. During the Championship Commissioner(s) has/have rights to make a randomly control of the players’ eligibility to play in the respective age category by collation with data in the original identification documents of the players (passports, certificate of identification).
54. In case of use of ineligible player(s), Commissioner informs about it the Head referee, who follows that point 44 would come into effect.
XVII. TECHNICAL COMMITTEE AND JURY APPEAL
55. The Technical Committee, approved by the ESBA Board prior to the Championship, is responsible for solving appeals, conflict situations and making resolutions on all disciplinary issues under the rules and disciplinary regulations of FIBA.
a. The Technical Committee consists of 3 members – Head Referee of a Championship and two independent members enjoying the independency and legal practice;
b. Resolutions of the Technical Committee may be adopted with a simple majority of votes. In the event of a tie in the votes, Chairman of the Technical Committee has the deciding vote.
56. A jury of appeal, approved by the ESBA Board, must be formed prior to the Championship. There shall be 3 appointed members.
57. The function of the jury of appeal shall be to decide in the second instance appeals against decisions taken by the Technical Committee concerning the approval of game results and/or penalties imposed. Its verdict is final, and it cannot be appealed.
XVIII. GAME DISQUALIFIED
58. A player will be disqualified from the game and can play next game when he is penalized:
a. With a second technical foul;
b. With a second unsportsmanlike foul;
c. With one technical foul and one unsportsmanlike foul;
59. When a player is directly disqualified with a disqualifying foul, the technical Commitee will analyze the referee report and decide how many suspension games the player will have.
XIX. PROTEST
60.If during Championship a team believes its interests have been adversely affected by a decision concerning the eligibility of a player(s) of the opposing team, by a decision of an official, or by any event that took place during a game, it must proceed in the following manner:
a. The captain of the team in question shall, immediately at the end of the game, inform the Referee that his team is protesting against the result of the game by signing the score sheet in the space marked “Captain’s signature in case of protest“;
b. In order to make this declaration valid, it is necessary for the official representative of the team to give confirmation of this protest in writing within the 20 minutes following the end of the game;
c. Detailed explanations are not necessary. It is sufficient to write: “The team X protests against the result of the game between the teams of X and Y”. Then he shall deposit, as security, a sum equivalent to EUR 200 in cash to the representative of ESBA or the Technical Committee;
d. Should a protest be filed by one of the teams, the Referee of corresponding game shall immediately report the incident to Head Referee;
e. The Technical Committee’s decision must be made no later than three hours (3) after the game.
61. If the protest is accepted, the security deposit shall be refunded.
62. Should the team in question, or that of the opposing team, not be in agreement with the decision of the Technical Committee, it may then address an appeal to the Jury of Appeal.
63. To make this valid, the appeal must be made within twenty (20) minutes following the delivery of the decision of the Technical Committee and accompanied by a deposit, as security, equivalent to 400 € in cash.
64. The Jury of Appeal shall judge the appeal in the last instance, and its decision shall be final.
XX. TRAINING SCHEDULE
65. Each team will be able to hold one practice (60 minutes) for free of charge in the day before the Championship will start. Training schedule has to be prepared according to the written requests of the teams not later than 7 days before the Championship.
XXI. FINANCIAL CONDITIONS
66. Teams shall afford their travel, as well as domestic travel expenses.
67. Teams shall afford their accommodation expenses.
68. Every team has to pay its participation fee to the following bank account:
European Seniors Basketball Association (ESBA)
Company code: 303054974
Address: Ungurių str.24, Vilnius, Lithuania, LT-04124
Account No: LT11 4010 0510 0178 4319
IBAN: LT11 4010 0510 0178 4319
Bank: Luminor Bank AB
SWIFT: AGBLLT2X
Bank address: J.Basanavičiaus str. 26, 03601 Vilnius – 6, Lithuania
69. Participation fee with offered accommodation packages is set at:
a. For women teams:
– 700 € until December 15, 2022;
– 800 € until February 1, 2023;
– 1000 € until April 15, 2023
b. For men teams:
– 900 € until December 15, 2022;
– 1000 € until February 1, 2023;
– 1200 € until April 15, 2023.
70. Non-accommodation package option:
– If delegations choose not to book the tournament accommodation packages, a fee of 100 € per member of the delegation will be applied;
– Includes: access to the public transport network, the gift box, Social party and Tournament individual costs;
– In order to ease the tournament’s organization, we strongly advise that tournament accommodation packages are availed of.
71. All other charges and expenses during the tournament have to be covered by own participants.
72. The teams, who by any reason cannot participate in the Championship, will be refunded with the 50% of the payment of the registration fees subject to information to the Organizing Committee not later than forty-five (45) days before the beginning of the Championship.
73. After the time mentioned above no refund will be reimbursed for retirement or nonattendance. The registration fees paid will be kept covering the expenses of the championship.
74. Participants are responsible for organize their own personal accident insurance. The Participation fee does not cover personal accident insurance.
XXII. COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA
75. ESBA and LOC have the rights to use, record, publish, broadcast and otherwise exploit in any form of media all participant performances during the Championship.
Approved by the Board of ESBA
