PR N°80 - Astana to host 2016 FIBA 3x3 U18 World Championships

ASTANA, Kazakhstan (3x3) – The 2016 FIBA 3x3 U18 World Championships will take place in the capital city of Kazakhstan in front of the scenic Astana Opera House on 1-5 June 2016.

The Kazakhstan Basketball Federation (NBF) – in partnership with the city of Astana, EXPO 2017, Astana Opera and Samruk Kazyna – will host the fifth edition of a competition, which became in 2011 the first-ever 3x3 event organised by FIBA (in Rimini, Italy).

Kazakhstan made strides in the young urban discipline in recent years, qualifying their men’s team to the 2015 FIBA 3x3 U18 World Championships in Debrecen, Hungary on 4-7 June.

All games at the 2016 FIBA 3x3 U18 World Championships will be played on the same court with 20 men’s and 20 women’s teams competing in a team event and in three individual contests (men’s dunk contest, women’s skills contest and mixed shoot-out contest).

The selection of teams for the tournament is based on the FIBA 3x3 Federation Ranking, which includes sport and development criteria, allowing both the strongest teams on the field as well as the most active countries to participate in the event, which fulfills a key aim of 3x3 - diversity. Thirty different territories from all continents will be represented at the event.

Participating teams
Men: Andorra (AND), Argentina (ARG), Belgium (BEL), Brazil (BRA), China (CHN), Egypt (EGY), Georgia (GEO), Hungary (HUN), Indonesia (INA), Italy (ITA), Kazakhstan (KAZ) (hosts), Netherlands (NED), New Zealand (NZL) (2015 winners), Philippines (PHI), Qatar (QAT), Romania (ROU), Slovenia (SLO), Spain (ESP), Turkey (TUR). Uruguay (URU).
Women: Andorra (AND), China (CHN), Czech Republic (CZE), Egypt (EGY), France (FRA) (2015 winners), Germany (GER), Guatemala (GUA), Hungary (HUN), Israel (ISR), Italy (ITA), Kazakhstan (KAZ) (hosts), Netherlands (NED), New Zealand (NZE), Poland (POL), Spain (ESP), Tunisia (TUN), Turkey (TUR), United Arab Emirates (UAE), United States (USA), Venezuela (VEN).

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ABOUT FIBA 3x3

Exciting, urban and innovative, 3x3 is inspired by several forms of streetball played worldwide and is considered the world’s number one urban team sport. Steered by FIBA, games see two teams of three players face off on a basketball half-court.

It was played successfully for the first time in international competition at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games in Singapore and since then has benefitted from the launch of a yearly city-based FIBA 3x3 World Tour (www.fiba.basketball/3x3worldtour) and national-team world championships.

Nike is FIBA 3x3's Founding Partner.

FIBA 3x3 events are played on Sport Court's floors with Schelde backstops and benefit from Wilson's innovative and specially-made ball for 3x3. 

For further information about 3x3, visit fiba.com/3x3, FIBA3x3 accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube or contact 3x3@fiba.com.