SINGAPORE — The Republic’s men’s and women’s 3×3 basketball teams will face off against powerhouses China in the Main Draw of the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup 2024, with the draw setting up tantalising clashes for the home teams.
After playing world No. 1 China on 29 March, the Singapore women will also meet world No. 53 Chinese Taipei on the same day to round off their Pool A fixtures. The Singapore men’s team and world No. 4 China will be joined by qualifiers Chinese Taipei, Iran or Hong Kong, China to complete Pool A.
The Main Draw of the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup 2024 will feature 12 men’s teams and 12 women’s teams. Unseeded teams will participate in the Qualifying Draw and compete to earn qualification to the Main Draw. As hosts, Singapore received a bye and both men’s and women’s teams were drawn in Pool A in their respective events.
“I’m excited to represent Singapore at the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup 2024. We had a wonderful experience playing in front of the home crowd at the OCBC Square last year and we’re hoping to improve on our performance. We’ve been training hard and fine-tuning some tactics. We hope to make Singapore proud,” said Kelvin Lim Hong Da, Singapore men’s 3×3 captain.
“The sky is the limit for the Singaporean players coming through our ranks. My goal is to empower the team to realise its full potential. Our long-term aim is performing well at the 2029 SEA Games on home soil and potentially qualifying for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games. I am pleased with the progress made during my short time with the team. The FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup 2024 will allow us to test ourselves against the best. We are looking forward to going up against the Chinese teams, and I promise we will put up a strong fight,” said Lazar Rasic, Singapore 3×3 National Team Head Coach.
Backed by a partisan home crowd at the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup 2023, Singapore’s men’s team earned a historic maiden victory in the competition with a 22-20 win against Chinese Taipei, before falling 14-21 to China in the quarter-final. A rematch with Chinese Taipei may be on the cards, should the team top Qualifying Draw A.
Elsewhere in the men’s competition, Pool B boasts defending champions Mongolia, Thailand, and Qualifying Draw B group toppers, while runners-up Australia will start the competition in Qualifying Draw C. Bronze medallists New Zealand were drawn in Pool D.
In the women’s competition, a mouth-watering clash is set to take place on 30 March, with holders Australia drawn in Pool D alongside silver medallists New Zealand, setting up a repeat of last year’s final.
“We are excited to return to Singapore to compete and defend our gold medal from last year. This is a really important competition for Australian 3×3 basketball as we look ahead to the 3×3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament,” said Australia women’s 3×3 basketball player Anneli Maley.
Singapore will host the premier 3×3 tournament from 27 to 31 March 2024 for the third straight edition, with the Qualifying Draw taking place on 27 and 28 March. The action-packed FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup 2024 will be held at the OCBC Square at Singapore Sports Hub, a venue renowned for staging numerous prestigious sports events.
