FIBA, NBA welcome 3x3 being part of Olympics
THE URBAN basketball discipline of 3x3 will be played in the biggest sporting stage there is as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to include it as part of the Olympic Basketball program starting with the Tokyo Summer Games in 2020, a development that the sport’s world governing body and biggest basketball league welcomed.
In an announcement made late last week, the IOC said that its Executive Board gave the go-ahead to include 64 athletes — 32 men and 32 women — for 3x3 in the next Olympics.
As a prime mover of 3x3 basketball, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) said it welcomes the discipline’s inclusion in the Olympic program, seeing how 3x3 has grown significantly as a spectator sport in the last decade.
The National Basketball Association (NBA), too, threw its support and appreciation for the IOC decision as 3x3 has also been in the NBA’s thrust in promoting the sport globally with various activities.
“This is a historic day for FIBA and 3x3,” FIBA Secretary-General and IOC member Patrick Baumann said in a statement released to local media following the IOC’s decision.
“It is the recognition of 10 years of hard work to codify the rules of 3x3 and to innovate with a unique 3x3 digital platform and player ranking system that bring together athletes with private and institutional organizers in a worldwide network of FIBA organized or sanctioned 3x3 events,” he added.
Back in 2007, FIBA decided to propose to the IOC to add 3x3 to the 2010 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Singapore, which ended up being the first official 3x3 event and was greeted with warm reception.
Its success continued in the YOG in 2014 in Nanjing, China, and has since grown to the point of having dedicated athletes playing professionally at the TV and social media-friendly FIBA 3x3 World Tour and competing in most multi-sport games.
3x3 now is widely considered the number one urban team sport — perfect for social media engagement with youngsters — and is simple enough to be played anywhere by anybody, leaving its inclusion in the Olympics “about time,” FIBA said. “The intensity and skill level of the 3x3 Game is such that there are no traditional 3x3 powerhouses and new countries have emerged since the first YOG experience in 2010. This was our main objective back in 2007. The decision provides FIBA with a renewed, strong incentive to continue in this direction and grow the game of basketball by developing new young skilled basketball talents in both genders across the globe from small islands to large countries in every continent,” FIBA President Horacio Muratore, for his part, said.
Mr. Baumann further said, “The IOC’s decision provides great encouragement for FIBA to continue promoting our urban discipline. This decision fits perfectly well with the concept of the urban cluster proposed for the 2020 Tokyo Games. Similarly important for us is that it also provides our membership with a new chance for medals at the Olympic Games and that the dream of a path from the streets to the Olympic Games has become reality for all the basketball community and the 3x3 players. We are very grateful to the IOC for today’s decision.”
On the part of the NBA, 3x3 basketball now to be played in the Olympics puts more premium to the program its has had for the discipline.
“[The] announcement by the IOC to include 3-on-3 basketball in the 2020 Olympics is great news and continues to signify the growing popularity of basketball around the world. The last few years, we have made a major push in 3-on-3 basketball with our nationwide Dew NBA 3X tour and several international 3-on-3 competitions, and the Olympic stage will provide these elite athletes with the opportunity to further demonstrate their talents,” said NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Mark Tatum in a separate statement.
The IOC said the competition format, qualification system and the location of the 3x3 venue in Tokyo will be announced at a later stage.
Meanwhile, the fourth edition of the FIBA 3x3 World Cup starts on June 17 in Nantes, France, where the Philippines is competing with a team composed of collegiate standouts Kiefer Ravena and Jeron Teng, US collegiate basketball player Kobe Paras and Philippine Basketball Association veteran JR Quiñahan.