Tokyo Olympics 2020 | Everything you need to know about the new 3×3 basketball. Rules, participants, favorites.

For the first time in the Olympics

At the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, a 3×3 basketball tournament will be held for the first time. “Classic” basketball has been on the program for years, but the discipline has now been added. 3×3 basketball is not new in Tokyo. The whole sport is actually still in its infancy.

• What: 3×3 basketball
• Venue: Aomi Urban Sports Park
• When: Saturday 24 July to Wednesday 28 July
• Where to see it: Eurosport 1 & Discover +
• Dutch participants: “Orange Lions”: Demio van der Horst, Arvin Slagter, Julian Garen and Jesse Voron.
• Favorites: Men: Serbia, Russia, Latvia and the Netherlands. Women: France, Romania, Russia and China.

What is 3×3 basketball السلة

In 2007, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) adopted universal rules for the sport. The first official tournament was held at the 2010 Singapore Youth Olympics. Since 2012, World Cup competitions for national teams and World Tour competitions for club teams have been organized. Five years later, the International Olympic Committee announced that 3×3 basketball was included in the program in Tokyo. In just a few years, 3×3 basketball has grown from a street sport into an Olympic discipline.

Two teams of three players (plus one reserve per team) compete in one half of the court with one basket. A three-point line is similar to a two-point line. Scoring within it is worth one point. Also, teams only have 12 seconds to make a scoring attempt. Matches last for 10 minutes or until one team scores 21 goals. If one team scores a goal, the other team may continue to dribble or pass the ball immediately. If the team is out of the two-point line again, they are allowed to score again.

Basketball is already known for its fast-paced game and constant action. With the 3×3 basketball, that level has been raised. Because of the short matches, no second should be wasted, and therefore it is full from the first signal. 3×3 Basketball is dynamic, tactical and amazing. No wonder it has been thriving in just a few years.

Favorite

Serbia has been men’s favorite for years. They have won four of the six World Cups. At the last World Cup, in Amsterdam, they could not take the fourth place. Poland won the match for third place and defeated the Latvian Americans in the final. During the Olympic qualifiers, all expectations were shaken again.

According to the then world rankings, China, Russia and Serbia automatically qualified for the tournament. Then the OTK was held in May of 2021. Here France and the United States, favorites at that time, failed to impress. This was mainly because of Holland, which turned out to be very strong for both teams. The Orange Lions managed to qualify for the matches, just like Latvia and Poland. Belgium qualified for the last time.

According to the current FIBA ​​rankings, Serbia is the absolute number one candidate. Latvia, Russia and the Netherlands are more balanced. The Dutch selection has not yet been announced. Demiou van der Horst, Arvin Slaughter, Julian Garing and Jesse Voorn all played in the OTK. The expectation is that this quartet will go to Tokyo.

For women, the outcome is not certain. The French are at the top of the FIBA ​​world rankings, but in OKT they only managed to overcome Hungary and Japan. The countries directly placed (Russia, China, Mongolia, and Romania) are equally matched. The Dutch ladies unfortunately did not qualify.

Where to watch the 2020 Olympic Games?

Eurosport will broadcast the Olympic Games live from Friday 23 July to Sunday 8 August from the first minute to the last. Subscribe to Discover + and enjoy non-stop, ad-free live multiplayer from all the great sports and the best Dutch shows during the Olympics. Take a subscription here.

A subscription to Discover+ (including access to TLC and Discovery ID channels) costs €3.99 per month and with this platform you can stream all sports and every medal you win live during the Olympics. There’s also a daily Medal Zone swap program at Eurosport 1 so you don’t miss out on any of the action.