Bangalore will host the 3x3 basketball Olympics qualifying tournament

As per the latest development, Bengaluru will host the

Olympics 3 x 3 qualifiers. The city has previously hosted successful editions

of the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup and now bracing itself for this big event. 40

teams – 20 for each gender – will participate in the qualifying tournament for

basketball from March 18 to 22. The tournament will be jointly organised by

FIBA, the sport's apex body, and the Basketball Federation of India (BFI).

Govindaraj Kempareddy, the president of the BFI, welcomed the return of international basketball to the city.

“We are excited to welcome teams from 36 different countries to Bengaluru, a city which has played host to successful FIBA competitions in recent history,” President of the BFI, Govindaraj Kempareddy, said as per several media reports.

This is the first time we will see 3x3 at the Olympics. Sixteen

teams - eight from each gender - will be fighting for a medal in Tokyo. India's

are categorised in Pool D alongside Latvia, Canada, the Netherlands and

Croatia, while the women's team will share the group with Spain, Switzerland,

Chinese Taipei and Italy.

The top two from each of the four pools will play knockout

stages of the competition.

The largest urban team sport in the world, 3x3, as the name

suggests, is a form of the game played three a side on one basketball hoop.

This format has long been played on the streets and gyms across the world, especially

in the US, but became standardized only recently.

The NBA embraced 3x3 in 2016, when it held a series of

tournaments known as "Dew NBA 3X", for local amateur players in

the US. Lucrative prize money is awarded to the winners.