https://arab.news/bbu9d
- The sport was inspired by urban basketball play and will feature in the Olympics for the first time in Tokyo
JEDDAH: The FIBA 3x3 World Tour Final will be held Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with the action for the popular basketball format taking place on Dec. 17-18, 2021.
Following the successful hosting of the 2021 tournament, one of the first international sporting events in the Kingdom after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Saudi Basketball Federation will organize the climax of the men’s FIBA 3x3 professional circuit for the second year running.
Last year, Latvia’s Riga won the ninth competition of the FIBA 3x3 World Tour after defeating Liman (SRB) in the championship game.
This year, the final will feature the best 12 teams of the FIBA 3x3 World Tour season, which started in Doha, Qatar on March 26-27 and will continue after 3x3’s Olympic debut in Tokyo on July 24-28.
The following Masters events have already been confirmed for this year:
- August 20-21: Lausanne, Switzerland (eighth competition)
- August 28-29: Debrecen, Hungary (sixth competition)
- September 4-5: Montreal, Canada (second competition)
- September 18-19: Prague, Czech Republic (eighth competition)
- October 29-30: Abu Dhabi, UAE (third competition)
The 3x3 format was inspired by several forms of streetball played in neighborhoods across the world and is now considered the world’s leading urban team sport. Certified by the International Basketball Federation FIBA, games see two teams of three players face off on a basketball half-court.
It was officially launched in international competitions at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games in Singapore and since then has benefited from the launch of a yearly city-based FIBA 3x3 World Tour and national-team FIBA 3x3 World and Continental Cups.
On June 9, 2017, 3x3 was added to the Olympic Games, and will be played for the first time in Tokyo later this month.