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Alex Sanchez is dreaming big. The man tasked by FIBA to popularize 3x3 basketball version so confident about the format’s potential that he expects it to be part of the Summer Olympics. |
“Last February we at the FIBA submitted an application to the International Olympic Committee about our wish to have 3x3 basketball included in the Olympics. It was a well thought-out move which we hope will be a success soon,” Sanchez said on the eve of the inaugural FIBA All-Stars to be held at Katara Beach today.
“The 3x3 version is here to stay. It’s a serious discipline with Olympic aspirations,” he added.
Sanchez, FIBA’s 3x3 director, bases his optimism on the fact that the sport was part of the Youth Olympics held in Singapore in 2010.
“It was a big success in Singapore and we expect it to be in the Olympics at the first available opportunity,” he said.
Sanchez thanked the Qatar Basketball Federation (QBF) for recognising the potential the format has and for agreeing to host the All-Stars for three years in a row.
“I have been visiting Qatar regularly for the past couple of years or so and have been impressed by the tremendous growth of the country. It’s changing every few months, and the authorities are doing a lot for basketball.
“Qatar has recognized 3x3 basketball’s potential and has agreed to host the All-Stars for three years. I thank them for that.”
Sanchez added that the whole purpose of 3x3 basketball was to encourage people to play the game wherever they can find a little space.
“Our purpose at FIBA is different from that of other sports. We aim to take sport to the people, not people to sport,” he said.
Sanchez toured the Katara Beach where the 3x3 All-Stars event would be held today and was all praise for the venue.
“It is a marvelous venue. The QBF have done a fantastic job with the preparations. It was very nice of them especially to build a fun village where families and kids can get together and enjoy the atmosphere.”
Meanwhile, the teams taking part in the $120,000 tournament were also looking forward to a great day of competition today.
Dusan Bulut, the captain of Serbian outfit Team Novi Sad, was confident about winning the event.
“We have played a lot of tournaments this year and we are confident about finishing the event in style,” said the world’s top-ranked player in 3x3 basketball.
At a tournament in Istanbul earlier this year, he vowed not to shave off his beard if he was not adjudged the best player in the world at the end of the event.
As it turned out, the super-skilled Serb got his wish, winning the honour ahead of Slovenian players Blaz Cresnar and Jasmin Hercegovac.
“To be the best in the world is what I wanted to be since I was a little,” he said later.
The 1.92m sharpshooter - who won the FIBA 3x3 World Championships representing Serbia last season - climbed up the 3x3 world ranking thanks to his outstanding performances in the last 12 months.
Bulut’s team will face tough competition from FC Barcelona. Known primarily for their excellence in football, FC Barcelona also have one of the top basketball teams in Europe, and captain Rodrigo de la Fuente was looking forward to the challenge.
De La Fuente had actually retired from basketball but decided to make a comeback to try his hand at the shorter format.
“It’s a whole new type of game, a new experience for me,” de la Fuente said. “I had retired a year ago, but decided to take on a new challenge and make a comeback,” he said.
QBF executive director Saadoun al-Kuwari thanked FIBA for allotting the event to Qatar.
“By giving us the right to host the event for three years, FIBA has shown it has trust in us,” al-Kuwari said. “We are very keen to promote 3x3 basketball. It was with this objective that we took the teams on a tour of various schools today and the students were very thrilled to meet the players and interact with them,” he said.
“I am sure it will be a great event.”
Apart from the tournament proper there will be plenty of other attractions at the venue, including a dunking exhibition which showcases gravity-defying stunts by experts
The teams:
Brezovica (Slovenia): Blaz Cresnar, Jasmin Hercegovac, Ales Kunc and Rok Smaka
Caracas (Venezuela): Jovanni Diaz, Michael Flores Urbaez, Rafael Melgarejo and Edgar Sifontes
Doha: Khlid Suliman abdi, Mohamed Saleem Abdulla, Mansour Atef and Yaseen Musa Ismail
FC Barcelona (Spain): Manel Bosch, Rodrigo de la Fuente, Roger Esteller and Ferran Martinez
Nagoya (Japan): Mitsui Hideki, Jun Suehiro, Taniguchi Tatsuro and Ochiai Tomoya
Novi Sad (Serbia): Dusan Bulut, Marko Savic, Nikola Ugrica and Marko Zdero.