Basketball federation makes fresh push for three-on-three

The Interna-RIO DE JANEIRO tional Basketball Federation (FIBA) is making another push to include three-on-three basketball in the Olympics, FIBA secretarygeneral Patrick Baumann told USA TODAY Sports.

Baumann said that the International Olympic Committee would decide in June if three-onthree would be played at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

“I want a favorable response. Expecting (a favorable response) is too much,” he told USA TODAY Sports. “It’s in the hands of the (IOC) executive committee. I know their thinking, what they like to do, the changes they want to make, so of course three-onthree fits very well in that.”

The International Olympic Committee in 2013 denied FIBA’s application for three-on-three basketball at the Rio Olympics. At the time, the IOC said, “Any request from international federations that would result in a higher number of athletes or increased number of medals, thereby adding to the cost and complexity of the Games, would not be considered.”

BMX, mountain biking and beach volleyball are part of the Olympic program, and FIBA thinks the fast pace and youthful appeal of three-on-three make it a perfect fit for the modern Olympics.

In the past three years, FIBA has made a significant effort to increase three-on-three’s worldwide presence, including world tours and world championships.

Baumann, an IOC member, said there were logistical issues.

“The goal is still to stay within the reasonable number of 310 events and 10,500 athletes — more or less,” Baumann said. “If you put 96 to 100 athletes in three-on-three, are we going to take away 100 athletes from five-on-five or are we going to find the number somewhere else?

“We’ve said we’re happy to make a compromise in the sense that we’re happy to talk about our number in five-onfive if that helps bring three-onthree as long as we keep a solid and strong five-on-five competition.”

As for the five-on-five events, FIBA’s ideal Olympic competition includes 16 men’s and 16 women’s teams — four groups of four, which would decrease the the maximum number of games played by two and shorten the length of the competition by four days.

The IOC also denied FIBA’s request in 2013 to increase the number of teams in the men’s and women’s field, and FIBA is not inclined to make another request, especially as it pushes for three-on-three’s inclusion in the Olympic program.

There are 12 teams each in the men’s and women’s field now — two groups of six. It takes two weeks to complete the tournaments.