Mies, Apr 25: The 2025 FIBA 3x3 World Tour is set to begin this weekend in Utsunomiya, Japan, with a schedule that largely mirrors previous years and continued efforts to expand the sport's global reach.

All but one of the host cities from last season return for this year's tour, highlighting the consistent demand from cities to host the competition.

"14 of the 15 stops on this year's World Tour are the same as the previous three years, underlining the incredible appetite we are seeing from cities to host this incredible festival atmosphere of sport, music, and culture," said Alex Sanchez, FIBA's 3x3 Managing Director, on Thursday.

"This means that organizers are able to plan longer term, ensuring they deliver the most engaging and compelling events not just for the players and fans but also for commercial and broadcast partners."

FIBA reported strong digital growth in 2024, with more than 57 million followers across all platforms and five billion social media views. Sanchez attributed this success to fan engagement at venues and online, reports Xinhua.

"Thanks to the hundreds of thousands of 3x3 fans generating incredible festival atmospheres, 2024 broke new records for social and digital engagement," he said. "Through improved fan zones at venues, as well as interactive digital content online, fans can expect a more immersive experience than ever before."

The sport also gained recognition at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where 3x3 competitions were among the most well-received events.

"The excitement and energy of 4,000 fans in the sold-out Place de la Concorde venue, with thousands more gathered outside hoping for a glimpse of the action, made it something very special," Sanchez said.

On April 10, the International Olympic Committee announced an expansion of 3x3 basketball participation for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, increasing the team quotas from eight to 12 for both men and women.

"We believe the increased quota to 12 men's and 12 women's teams, combined with the iconic basketball city of Los Angeles, will create a unique urban festival atmosphere that will strengthen the global popularity of the sport in 2028," Sanchez said.

Asia continues to be a focal point for the World Tour, with nine of this year's events being hosted in the region. The season will conclude in Manama, Bahrain, and five of the stops will take place in China.

"Asia has firmly established itself as a real hotbed for the growth of 3x3 basketball. The passion and energy from fans and players, combined with the warm reception from host cities across the region, have been exceptional," Sanchez said.

"These are, of course, some of the reasons why we will celebrate our 10-year anniversary of the World Tour in Chengdu this year. Moreover, the fact that China is hosting five major events, including Challengers, World Tours, and the U23 World Cup, clearly underlines the strong momentum 3x3 basketball is gaining throughout Asia."

Sanchez also noted continued investment and emerging talent in the region.

"Looking ahead, we see a very bright future for 3x3 in Asia. We anticipate continued expansion, driven by new investment and the incredible pipeline of future stars in the making. China's recent appearance in the FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup 2025 final in Singapore was a great example of this," he said.

"In the meantime, our focus continues to be on growing the sport around the world by developing it at both the grassroots and elite levels. As an easy sport to follow, understand, and watch, coupled with our incredible growth so far, we believe there is a very exciting future ahead for 3x3 basketball," Sanchez concluded.

(IANS)

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