Photo: Birmingham City Council/PA
3×3 Basketball To Make Its Commonwealth Games Debut In Birmingham
History will be made at the Commonwealth Games this summer, as 3×3 Basketball will be competed for the very first time. It comes hot on the heels of the event making its Olympic debut last year, as the gold medal was won by Latvia in the men’s event and the women of the USA captured gold in their final against the ROC. But, what is the sport and when will it be held at the Commonwealth Games?
What is 3×3 Basketball?
The sport has become a phenomenon around the world, as a number of countries have quickly adopted it as its own. It is essentially a shorter form of basketball, with three players representing each team. The layout of the court is also slightly different to that of regular basketball, as there is just one backboard located in a half-court setup.
Studies from the International Olympic Committee found that it was the largest urban team sport in the world, and that led to it being included in the 2020 Summer Olympics. The sport has already enjoyed success in the form of the FIBA 3X3 World Tour, which sees a winning prize fund of six figures available.
Commonwealth Games Tournament
The 3×3 Basketball is set to be one of the most exciting sports to be competed at the Commonwealth Games this summer. Birmingham hosts the event this year, and according to WeLoveBrum.co.uk, the games in 3×3 Basketball will be held at Smithfield. The event will see fixtures played between July 29th and August 2nd, with gold medals available for the men, women and wheelchair competitors.
A total of 12 nations will be represented in the Commonwealth Games tournament, including England, Canada and Australia. The finals in all four events will be held on the event of August 2nd.
