3x3 Basketball will make its debut in the 2019 Pacific Games
The 2019 Pacific Games will host its first ever 3x3 Basketball event which will include a Men's and Women's Division in Apia, Samoa on July 18-20.
Apia (Samoa) - The 2019 Pacific Games will host its first ever 3x3 Basketball event which will include a Men's and Women's Division in Apia, Samoa on July 18-20.
The 3x3 basketball competition will feature 13 Women's teams and 12 Men's teams in its inaugural inception to the quadrennial event.
FIBA Oceania Competitions Manager and Tournament Director Amanda Jenkins shared her enthusiasm for the 3x3's inclusion to the Games.
"We are excited for 3x3 to be played at the Games for the first time. The Mini Games were hugely successful, and we look forward to more teams participating this time. It will be a great end to the Pacific Games," Jenkins said.
3x3 Basketball was an introductory sport in the 2017 Mini Games in Vanuatu and was received warmly by sports enthusiasts in Port Vila. The discipline will also make its debut in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
In the Mini Games, Samoa and the Cook Islands took home the Gold Medals in the Men's and Women's division respectively and are viewed to be one of the favorites in the 16th Pacific Games.
However, the teams will be pooled based on the National Federation's FIBA 3x3 rankings at the start of June 2019 with Vanuatu and New Caledonia entering as the top teams going into the event.
The development of 3x3 has been spearheaded by FIBA Oceania 3x3 Development Manager Annie La Fleur with various visits, workshops, and clinics in the last few years to introduce the sport in the Pacific region.
La Fleur highlighted the rising popularity of 3x3 basketball and the added opportunity for the National Federations to participate in more basketball events with the inclusion of 3x3 to the Pacific Games.
"The growth of 3x3 in the region has been phenomenal in the last few years, it is also a testament to the region's warm reception to the urban sport. The introduction of 3x3 to the Pacific Games will give more opportunities to our National Federations to send teams to represent their countries," La Fleur said.
Format of the tournament:
Two pools of six teams in the Men's division and two pools of seven and six teams for the Women's division.
The Top 4 of each pool will advance to the Knockout round play a crossover Quarter Final, Semi-Final and Final Round.
Check out the schedule of the 3x3 competition below!
FIBA