3×3 Basketball

One-basket game

During the European Games Kraków-Małopolska 2023, 16 women’s and men’s teams will compete. Each team consists of four athletes. There will be 128 participants in the event. The teams will be divided into four groups of four teams. The two best teams from each group will advance to the knockout stage starting with the quarter-finals. The competition will begin on 21 June and the finals are scheduled for 24 June.

The national teams will not only be competing for European Games medals, but the competition will also count towards qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) will reward the teams with the ranking points, on the basis of which Olympic nominations will be awarded.

The 3×3 basketball arena will be at the Cracovia Arena (Aleja Marszałka Ferdynanda Focha 40), and bleachers will be built around the court to accommodate 1,000 spectators.

A million players

3×3 basketball came from the streets and school playgrounds. In 2007, it was added to the FIBA calendar, and since June 2017 it has been an Olympic sport. This dynamic and spectacular competition is part of the trend towards urban sports promoted by the International Olympic Committee. The popularity of 3×3 basketball worldwide is evidenced by the fact that more than 1 100 000 players are currently ranked. The best tournaments in the sport are organised in city centres and shopping malls and the top games in the world are held as part of the FIBA 3×3 World Tour Masters tournaments.

Since 2007, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) has organised the European and World Championships. Three years later, 3×3 basketball appeared on the Youth Olympic Games programme and made its debut at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. The decision proved to be a hit. The games were hugely popular. The men’s competition was won by the Latvians and the women’s by the Americans. The Polish men’s team finished seventh.