JOIN EPIC 2026

08:15 – 09:00 | Registration

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09:00 – 09:15 | Welcome

• Bostjan Nachbar – Managing Director, ELPA

• Tornike Shengelia – President, ELPA (video message)

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Session 1: Opening Lecture about Performance & Congress Mission

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09:15 – 09:30 | Performance on the court, starts at home!

Speaker: Igor Jukic (ELPA-PAB) - Croatian Olympic Committee High Performance Sports Center Director, U21 Croatian National Football Team S&C Coach (HR)

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09:30 – 10:00 | Round Table

• Host: Igor Jukic

• Guests: TBA

 

 

Session 2: Team Staff Wellness

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10:00 – 10:30 | Team Staff Wellness: The Hidden Engine of Player Performance. Optimizing Physical and Mental Health to Maximize Player Support

Speaker: Julio Calleja, ELPA-PAB, Professor, University of the Basque Country (ES)

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Fatigue - Recovery support for team STAFF Members

Speaker: Mar Rovira, ELPA-PAB, Professor, University Tecnocampus (ES)

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10:30 – 11:00 | Round Table​​

• Host: Julio Calleja

• Guests: TBA

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11:00 – 11:30 | Coffee Break

 

 

Session 3: Nutrition in Elite Basketball

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11:30 – 11:45 | EuroLeague Post-Game Nutrition: Priorities and Critical Considerations

Speaker: Antonio Santo, ELPA-PAB, Real Madrid Nutritionist (IT)

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11:45 – 12:15 | Round Table

• Host: Antonio Santo

• Guests: TBA

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Session 4: The role of Player Associations in Sports Performance

 

12:15 - 12:45 | How can negotiated working conditions improve players' performances and prolong their careers?

• Host: Francesco Cuzzolin

• Guests: Bostjan Nachbar (ELPA Managing Director), Gediminas Navickas (Zalgiris General Manager)

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12:45 – 14:00 | Lunch Break & Networking

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Session 5: Training Load Management

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14:00 – 14:30 

| How to Make Training Load Matter for Players and Coaches: From Data to Decisions

Speaker: Francesco Cuzzolin, ELPA-PAB, Director of Performance, Reyer Venezia (IT)

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| Game Analysis: Right Data, Wrong Level of Thinking

Speaker: Jaime Sampaio, ELPA-PAB, Professor, University of Trás-os-Montes (PT)

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14:30 – 15:00 | Round Table

• Host: Jaime Sampaio

• Guests: TBA

 

 

Session 6: Evidence, Strategies, and Rehabilitation

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15:00 – 15:30

| Beyond the Rupture: Return to Play and Performance After Achilles Tendon Repair in Basketball

Speaker: Baris Kocaoglu, ELPA-PAB, MD, Professor, University of Acibadem (TR)

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| What Makes ACL Injury, Treatment, and Return to Sport Different in Basketball? 

Speaker: TBA

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15:30 – 16:00 | Round Table

• Host: Baris Kocaoglu

• Guests: TBA

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16:00 – 16:30 | Coffee Break

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Session 7: ELPA Round Table – Future of Player Management

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16:30 – 17:30 | Tomorrow’s Player, Today’s Problem: What Must Change in Elite Basketball

• Host: Bostjan Nachbar

• Guests: Paulius Jankunas (Zalgiris President), Ioannis Sfairopoulos, 

 

17:30 – 17:45 | Closing Remarks

• Speaker: Bostjan Nachbar