Basketball
2020 Tokyo Olympics: India to host 3x3 basketball qualification tournament
India is all set to host the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Qualifying Tournament for 3x3 basketball in March 2020, it was announced by International Basketball Association (FIBA) on Monday. The event will be organised by the Basketball Federation of India (BFI).
“We are delighted to host the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in India,” FIBA secretary general Andreas Zagklis said in a statement released by the world body. He added:
Following the successful organisation of two consecutive FIBA Women's Asia Cups in Bangalore by the BFI, we are looking forward to organising now a key 3x3 event in a country where our new Olympic discipline already has a strong fanbase. Our positive experience with YKBK at the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Hyderabad Masters 2018 and the excellent collaboration between FIBA and the BFI played an important role in the selection of the host by the FIBA Central Board
BFI President Govindaraj Kempareddy said on the occasion, “It is a great honour to host such an important event in India and to see our players give it all on home soil for a berth to the first-ever 3x3 Olympic tournament.”
The discipline (3x3 basketball) will be making its Games debut next year in Japan when eight teams (in both men’s and women’s categories) will compete against each other for a place on the podium. It was in 2017 that 3x3 basketball was added to the Olympic Program, starting from the Tokyo 2020 Games. The first official 3x3 event was held back in 2010 at the Singapore Youth Olympic Games.
Olympic Qualification process
Given that only the top four ranked countries in the world in both men’s and women’s FIBA rankings will gain automatic berths at the Tokyo Olympics, India could find it tricky to qualify.
Japan, despite being the hosts, will only receive one automatic berth at the Games, either men’s or women’s. The side with the higher ranking will gain the place, with the men currently ninth and the women 11th. Whichever host team does not make it will have to go through the qualifying process.
If Japan fails to get into the top four on either list, they will replace the fourth-best team in the rankings and book a spot at next year’s Games. As per current rankings, Serbia, Russia, China and Mongolia are the top-ranked teams in men’s while Russia, China, Romania and France are those in women’s.
20 teams in each category, decided on the basis of FIBA rankings and the results of this year's 3x3 World Cup in Amsterdam, will be participating in the qualification tournament in India. As hosts, India will get to field a team in both Men's & Women's qualifying tournament.
The qualifying event will have three places in each category up for grabs. The exact dates are yet to be confirmed but it will take place in March next year, barely four months before the Olympics.
