Inaugural World Tour launches first full season of 3×3 basketball

GENEVA, Switzerland (3×3 Basketball) –March 21, 2012: FIBA has officially announced the first ever FIBA 3×3 World Tour to be held in some of the world’s most iconic cities. The 2012 calendar of 3×3 basketball events also includes senior and U18 World Cups for men and women.

FIBA Secretary General and IOC Member Patrick Baumann shared his enthusiasm: “The first edition of the FIBA 3×3 World Tour and the first-ever FIBA 3×3 World Cup are two key landmarks in the development of the game, which we see as a future Olympic discipline. 2012 is going to be remembered as the year when 3×3 basketball was launched.”

The FIBA 3×3 World Tour will see men’s teams from around the world qualify for five Masters tournaments, each comprising of 16 teams and held in some of the world’s most cosmopolitan cities.

FIBA 3×3 World Tour Masters: Sao Paolo, Brazil: 7-8 July

Vladivostok, Russia: 21-22 July

New York, USA: 18-19 August

Istanbul, Turkey: 1-2 September

Madrid, Spain: 8-9 September

The 16 best teams from the Masters qualify for the FIBA 3×3 World Tour Final, which will be held in Miami, USA, on 22-23 September.

Any team of four players is eligible to participate in the Masters tournaments by earning a place through a worldwide network of qualifying tournaments. For further information about the FIBA 3×3 World Tour, contact 3×3@fiba.com.

The inaugural FIBA 3×3 World Cup, for Men and Women respectively, will take place in Athens, Greece, on 23-26 August.

The second FIBA 3×3 U18 World Cup will take place in Seville, Spain, on 27-30 September. Boys and girls born after 1 January 1994 will be eligible to compete for their respective National Teams. The inaugural FIBA 3×3 U18 World Cup was played in Rimini, Italy in 2011.

3×3 basketball

Exciting, urban and innovative, 3×3 basketball is inspired by several forms of streetball played worldwide. Endorsed by FIBA, games see two teams of three players face off on a standard half-court. It was played successfully for the first time in international competition at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Singapore.

For more information about 3×3 basketball, please visit fiba.com/3×3, twitter.com/3x3planet and youtube.com/3x3planet or contact 3×3@fiba.com.