First-ever private team to join FIBA 3x3 Women's Series in 2022
TOKYO (Japan) - Xross Sports Marketing, a subsidiary of Xebio and organizers of 3x3.EXE Premier, will become the first private entity to have a team on the FIBA 3x3 Women’s Series, the women’s 3x3 professional circuit.
For its third edition in 2022, the FIBA 3x3 Women’s Series will welcome teams registered by national federations and private promoters alike. This was a unique opportunity for Xross Sports Marketing, who has been a pioneer in 3x3 since 2014.
“We are delighted to play a leading role in the development of 3x3 in Japan and worldwide,” Xross Sports Marketing president Takaaki Nakamura said.
In 2018, the company started the first 3x3 professional league for women, which played an important role in earning enough points for Japan to secure a spot at the FIBA 3x3 Olympic Qualification Tournament, on the road to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
“We’re just passionate about accelerating youth development for women with a new lifestyle and perspective through basketball. We will provide an opportunity for 3x3.EXE Premier players to go from the streets to the world stage via an open try-out selection,” Nakamura added.
The Japanese 3x3 women’s national team won the FIBA 3x3 U23 World Cup and the FIBA 3x3 Women’s Series Xiong An Stop in 2019 and were the only team to beat the eventual Olympic champions USA in Tokyo. They ranked fifth overall in the final standings.
“We’re delighted to see the FIBA 3x3 Women’s Series continue to expand after 3x3’s successful debut at the Tokyo Olympics,” FIBA Executive Committee member Carol Callan said.
“We believe this will give a chance to more female talents to shine on the world stage, which is in line with one of FIBA’s three strategic pillars: the development of women in basketball.”
In 2021, 19 different teams competed in the second edition of the Women’s Series, which included 7 different events. Germany won the final, which took place in the scenic Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest, Romania, an event hosted by the Romanian Basketball Federation President and FIBA Executive Committee member Carmen Tocala:
“I could see with my own eyes last summer the vast potential of the FIBA 3x3 Women’s Series,” Tocala said. I am delighted that FIBA has approved the possible expansion to private teams at the Women’s Series. I believe this is an important step in the growth of the competition to make it even more exciting and spectacular and an inspiration for a new generation of women who wish to become professional 3x3 players.”
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Exciting, urban and innovative, 3x3 is inspired by several forms of streetball played worldwide and is considered the world’s number one urban team sport. Steered by FIBA, games see two teams of three players face off on a basketball half-court.
It was played successfully for the first time in international competition at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games in Singapore and since then has benefited from the launch of a yearly city-based FIBA 3x3 World Tour and national-team FIBA 3x3 World & Continental Cups.
On July 24, 2021, 3x3 made its Olympic debut at the Tokyo Games.
For further information about 3x3, visit fiba3x3.basketball, FIBA 3x3 accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Sina Weibo, Tencent, TikTok, Twitter, Youku , YouTube and Twitch or contact 3x3@fiba.basketball.