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THE COLD HARD DRIBBLE
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
FIBA 3X3
3×3 basketball is already today the number one urban team sport in the world.*
In line with FIBA’s vision to make basketball the most popular sports community in the world, FIBA is embracing 3×3 with the aim of further promoting, uniting and developing the game of basketball.
FIBA believes that 3×3 presents an excellent opportunity to attract new people to basketball and to raise awareness that everyone can play basketball, anywhere in the world.
Embracing an additional stand-alone discipline offers the opportunity to extend the reach of participating or hosting countries in international competitions.
*According to an IOC commissioned study.
Establish a pro FIBA 3×3 World Tour that allows 3×3 stars to make a living out of 3×3. Create the largest sports community in the world by having all 3×3 events worldwide included in the play.fiba3x3.com event directory.
3×3 became an Olympic discipline on June 9 2017.
Yes. 3×3 is part of the Youth Olympic Programme since 2010. There are 3×3 World Cups for men and women (senior and U18) every year. In addition, there is a yearly, city-based FIBA 3×3 World Tour since 2012. Additionally, basketball is played in multi-sports events such as the Asian Games, the European Games, the Mediterranean Games and many more.
FIBA’s integrated competition network comprises of all FIBA-endorsed events, from standalone events to the qualifiers and Masters of the FIBA 3×3 World Tour.
3X3 EVENTS
Any event can be endorsed. The requirements are that the organiser:
- Uses the FIBA 3×3 rules.
- Uses the freeware EventMaker for the management of the tournament,including the upload of results.
- Ensures that all participating players are registered on play.fiba3x3.com
- Grants FIBA royalty-free licence to amend, use and distribute footage and photographs of the event.
The classic format to be in place is round robins followed by a knock-out phase, leading to a final game; standings are calculated to force rank all the participating teams. Additional formats such as single elimination bracket are also available.
The minimum number of teams is four in the classic format and eight in single elimination. Minimum category or division size is 4 teams.
Yes, 3×3-specific scoresheets are used to keep track of the scoring within a game while, once the game ends, results are managed electronically by Event Maker.
Practice shows that a 10 minutes game can be played within a 20 minute timeframe.
A 3×3 Tour is a series of at least three FIBA-endorsed events tournaments linked together usually leading to a final although not mandatory. There can be more than one 3×3 tour in any given country. Tours can be awarded Quest or Satellite Qualifiers’ status and become part of the Path to the World Tour.
Event Maker is the official free-of-charge tournament management software for FIBA 3×3 Endorsed events.
play.fiba3x3.com is the community for players about tournament and player rankings.
Related links: play.fiba3x3.com
The individual ranking is an indicator central to FIBA’s ranking system.
The Ranking is a player’s individual position among registered FIBA 3×3 players based on points won at FIBA endorsed competitions. A complete explanation is available in the Ranking Quick Guide document.
3X3 COURTS & BALL
There is no mandatory surface for 3×3 basketball; a tournament can take place on concrete, asphalt, existing or temporary courts. Playability and player safety are key components when choosing a surface.
The official court size is 15 meters in width and 11 in length long with 1.5 meter boundaries. The court markings for the key and three-point lines are the same as on a standard court.
Accordingly, a standard basketball court falls within the recommended dimensions and allows two 3×3 games to be played simultaneously.
The FIBA Study Centre has recently extended its activities to include equipment specifically designed for 3×3 basketball. Contact Basketball New South Wales how you can obtain your own set up.
Yes, FIBA partnered with Wilson to develop a specific FIBA 3×3 ball. You can find more information about the ball in the Ball section of this web site.
3X3 TEAMS
While FIBA only organises 3×3 tournaments for open and U18 age categories, FIBA recommends dividing players into the following age categories: U13, U15, U18, open (or “senior”) and over-30s.
Teams are composed of three players, plus one possible substitute. Accordingly, the maximum number of players is four.
A team is composed of a group of friends, team-mates, co-workers, etc. For nationality-based competition (such as the FIBA 3×3 World Cups, the Youth Olympic Games, etc.), each National Federation is responsible for selecting the team. However, only players having previously participated in at least two FIBA- endorsed events in the previous 12 months are eligible. In any case national team players must be registered on play.fiba3x3.com.
Player selection for national team is a national federation prerogative and has to follow any of the following two models:
- National team selection is a national federation prerogative and has to follow the principle of aligning a competitive team;
- Only players registered in play.fiba3x3.com and that have played in a minimum of 2 FIBA-endorsed events in the last 12 months prior to the registration of the players to the event are eligible to play;
- In order to be eligible for national team purposes, a player cannot have previously played for the national team (5v5 or 3×3) of another country in an Official Competition (other than with a exceptional authorization by the FIBA Secretary General);
- The list of players (4 players) of the teams participating in national-team 3×3 Official Competitions have to be filled electronically via play.fiba3x3.com back-end by the corresponding national federation member within the given deadlines for each competition.
No, coaching is not allowed during the competitions. However, coaches or trainers are welcome in preparation to a competition or to increase the skill level of the players.
