FIBA official sees potential for ‘big basketball events’ JASON HILLS
This was Ignacio Soriano’s first visit to Edmonton and if he has his way, it won’t be his last.
The FIBA 3x3 senior manager travelled from Barcelona, Spain, this week to check out the venue and all the city has to offer for the FIBA Edmonton Challenger 3x3 tournament at West Edmonton Mall on Sept. 21-23.
“Edmonton has so much potential when it comes to hosting big basketball events,” said Soriano. “I’ve visited different venues and I’ve listened to the development plans of the future and Edmonton can be a main pillar for basketball in Canada. Not just for events like this, but for the development of the 3x3 discipline at the grassroots to the professional level.
“Edmonton has all of FIBA’s support, because it’s a city that has all the tools, the manpower, the resources and the venues. They have everything to make it successful. FIBA will get behind cities like Edmonton. They have the willingness to be big in basketball.”
Three-on-three basketball has been one of the fastest growing sports in recent years.
Once thought of as just the pickup form of basketball that you’d play with your friends on the local neighbourhood court, three-onthree basketball has transformed into a sport gaining more popularity world wide.
Last year, it was announced three-on-three basketball will be an official event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. It’s an impressive feat considering the sport has only been played on the world stage since 2012.
“Our first world tour and professional season was in 2012. That’s only been six years, and last year we were named an official Olympic sport,” said Soriano. “We’ve only had a professional tour for six years, and I don’t know any other professional sport that has gained Olympic status after that short of time.
“We’re convinced that once people see this sport in the Olympics, and our athletes win an Olympic medal that has the same value as traditional basketball or a medal that Usain Bolt wins, it’s going to bring our sport to another level.”
Soriano believes the rise in popularity of three-on-three basketball is similar to beach volleyball.
Beach volleyball first became an Olympic sport at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta and has since skyrocketed in popularity.
“People love (beach volleyball) because it’s a party, you have cheerleaders, live music. It’s a fun experience, and we believe in 3x3 we have a lot of similarities to beach volleyball atmosphere,” said Soriano.
Soriano template for success to grow the game is to hold it in venues like West Edmonton Mall to expose more people to the game. Once it’s more established, FIBA tends to hold their tournaments in more well-known venues.
But FIBA’s biggest focus is making the sport accessible for everyone. It’s an event that caters to not just diehard basketball fans, but for people who simply enjoy an entertainment spectacle.
“We’re offering something that’s unique. We’re bringing people to the court. It’s an ultimate fan experience. One-third of our events are pure entertainment. That’s something that regular basketball can’t offer,” said Soriano. “We’re taking basketball to the people. Our events, you’re part of our show.”
This summer, Edmonton will be a hotbed for 3x3 basketball. This weekend, the Alberta Basketball 3x3 tournament will be held at the Saville Community Sports Centre. It’s the longest running FIBA endorsed 3x3 tournament in Canada.
Some of the up-and-coming teams across Canada will be competing for a berth in the Canada Quest National Finals in July in Edmonton.
Those two tournaments lead up to the FIBA Edmonton Challenger in September. The winning team from that tournament directly qualifies to the World Tour Masters event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in October.
“This year on our world tour, we’ve more than doubled our prize money. Last year the prize money was $430,000, this year it was more than $1 million,” said Soriano.
Soriano believes the FIBA Edmonton Challenger tournament is only the beginning. He sees Edmonton playing host to world tour tournaments in the near future.
“We’re very convinced because we’ve been working on this project for a couple of years now. FIBA and the city of Edmonton don’t want to stop after this event,” he said. “This should just be the beginning of a long-term partnership, which includes even higher-tiered tournaments and events.”