The outlook for 2023 for Korea’s 3×3, which is no different from a ‘frog in a well’, is bleak. At this rate, it seems difficult to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
2023 is an important year for 3×3 athletes around the world. This is because this year’s performance determines whether or not to advance to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
As in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, FIBA (International Basketball Federation) determines the Olympic qualifying and direct qualifying countries based on the FIBA 3×3 national rankings. In the case of the 2024 Paris Olympics, on November 1, 2023, the FIBA 3×3 national rankings will determine the countries that qualify for the Olympics and the finals.
To this end, the 3×3 Asia Cup, which was held annually in July and August, will be held earlier in late March, and for the first time in history, the winning team of the 3×3 Asia Cup will be given a ticket to qualify for the Paris Olympics.
Korea’s neighboring countries are moving early to qualify for the Paris Olympics or advance to the finals.
China, which had been quiet since 2020 due to Corona 19, was the first to move. Backed by financial power, China has been confirmed to host 15 FIBA 3×3 Challengers this year alone, and in October, it hosted the FIBA 3×3 World Tour, which can earn the most points, in Chengdu. Mongolia, ranked 5th in the world, also held 4 challengers and 1 women’s series final in their country, and has already confirmed their participation in 3 world tours.
The Philippines will also hold two world tours in Manila and Cebu, and Malaysia will hold the ‘WORLD HOOPS PENANG 3X3 PRO LEAGUE’ three times from February 24th to March 5th, starting the process of raising their country’s rankings. WORLD HOOPS PENANG 3X3 PRO LEAGUE held in Malaysia is the third highest level of FIBA 3×3 competitions, and Malaysia plans to have a large number of its own players participate.
Like the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the 2024 Paris Olympics will allow 8 men’s and women’s teams to compete in the Olympic finals. As of November 1, 2023, three men’s and women’s teams will go directly to the Olympic finals according to the FIBA 3×3 national rankings.
In addition, the 5 teams advancing to the finals will be determined based on the results of a total of 3 preliminary rounds. However, 3×3 is not the concept of passing the 1st qualifying round, then passing the 2nd qualifying round and then advancing to the final qualifying round, as in the soccer World Cup. You will get a ticket to the finals.
Among them, the qualifier that Korea can aim for is the qualifier in which 16 male and female teams will participate according to the FIBA 3×3 national rankings. Scheduled to be held in June 2024, the qualifier host country will be given one ticket to compete, and the top 15 teams in the FIBA 3×3 national rankings will compete. Up to 10 teams and 2 teams from the same continent can participate. 스포츠토토
In 2019, KXO and the Premier League hosted three challengers in Korea, and Haneulnae Inje and Hansol Remicon players participated in 5-6 international competitions, respectively, raising the ranking to 5th in Asia. These efforts led to the acquisition of qualifying tickets for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
But things have changed a lot since COVID-19 has passed. While neighboring countries escaped Corona 19 and actively challenged the international stage as before and accumulated points, Korea plummeted to the bottom of Asia. Currently, Korea ranks 66th in the world for men (16th in Asia) and 70th in the world for women (18th in Asia).
It is showing a significant difference from the 5th and 6th Asian countries, which are eligible to qualify for the Olympics. Men have a gap of more than 600,000 points with Qatar, 6th in Asia, and women have a gap of 200,000 points with Qatar, 5th in Asia.
I can’t let go of that In Korea, 3×3 has already been activated, and it is attracting attention as a new basketball. Recently, efforts are being made to adopt the national sports event as an official event.
The only way is to continue to challenge the international stage until the end of October. According to what is currently known, only KXO has plans to host one or two 3×3 international competitions in the second half of this year, while other organizations have no plans to host 3×3 international competitions in Korea this year, and it is not easy to support players to participate in international competitions due to budget problems. position.
Currently, in the case of the men’s 3×3 team, the owners and players who have the same will are discussing whether to participate in international competitions. Here, a domestic parent company is discussing whether to participate in the FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series (the highest level of women’s 3×3 competitions).
But this alone is not enough. It’s a frustrating situation, but we need a ‘medium’ that can encourage more teams and players to participate in international competitions. If everyone gives up just because everyone is giving up, the Korean 3×3 could end up in a well.
There are only 10 months left to compete in the Olympic qualifiers. There should be no tragedy for Korea, which prides itself on being an Asian basketball powerhouse, not even qualifying for the Olympics.
Now is the time to make extraordinary efforts to prevent the closure of 3×3 in Korea.
