A frenzy of excitement gripped all fans when the 3*3 Women’s Basketball was introduced in the Tokyo Olympics 2020. The format was short and crisp and offered more thrill than the longer format. “It is the easiest and one of the most effective ways to bring youngsters to basketball, keep them, and promote our game,” Patrick Baumann, IOC member, stated. As the format got crisp, certain other rules came to the fore.

For starters, the game regulation is only 10 minutes now making it quick. As it is set to take place even in this Olympics, EssentiallySports takes a look at the rules and the clashes in 3*3 women’s basketball.

Teams and Qualifiers for the Paris Olympics for 3*3 women’s basketball

The 3*3 Olympics women’s basketball tournament will officially have 8 teams competing against each other. The host nation France earned an automatic qualification to the game. Further, USA and China qualified based on their FIBA 3*3 World Rankings. The next five teams participated in either the 2024 FIBA Universality Olympic Qualifying Tournament 1, 2024 FIBA Universality Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2, or 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

The finals of the 2024 FIBA Universality Olympic Qualifying Tournament 1 were held between Azerbaijan and Poland in which the former trumped the European team by an 18-17 margin. All games were held in Hong Kong between 12-14 April 2024. Both Azerbaijan and Poland were placed at the second spot in Pool B and Pool A, who during the semifinals defeated and Netherlands and Hungary, respectively. Thus, they earned themselves a spot in the Finals.

Next during the 2024 FIBA Universality Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2 from May 3 to May 5, the tournament took place at Utsunomiya and the qualifying team was Australia. The four teams to make it ahead of the preliminary rounds were Australia, Germany, Brazil, and Canada. While Canada defeated Germany in the semi-finals, Australia advanced to the Finals after decimating Brazil. The Final which was held on May 5 had Australia trumping Canada by a 19-16 margin.

Next in the 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, three teams were selected from the competition – Germany, Spain, and Canada. The contests were held from May 16 to 19 and had 16 teams participating. The teams were divided into 4 pools of 4 teams each. The top 8 teams to qualify for the quarter-finals were Germany, Japan, Hungary, Czech Republic, Canada, Italy, Spain and Poland. Out of them, Germany, Hungary, Canada, and Spain advanced to the semi-finals.

During the semi-final game, Germany defeated Hungary by a 19-17 margin whereas Spain trumped Canada by a 19-18 tally. Thus, the two teams to advance to the Finals were Germany and Spain. The final game was not played since both Germany and Spain had qualified. For the third position, Hungary and Canada clashed against each other where Canada scored 21 points as compared to Hungary’s 10. Thus, Canada eventually made it to the 3*3 Paris Olympics.

Upcoming clashes at the Paris Olympics and Rules

Currently, the order of the teams according to their seeding is as follows:- China, USA, France, Germany, Canada, Spain, Azerbaijan, and Australia. Each team will play against the other 7 nation’s squads from July 30 to August 5. Out of them, the top four teams will advance to the semi-finals. The winners of both the semi-finals will make it to the finals whereas the losers from both the games will compete against each other for a third spot. The top teams will eventually take home the gold, silver, and bronze medals on August 5.

The 3*3 basketball rules demand that each team has four players. While three athletes take the court from each squad, one acts as a substitute. In each game, much like 5*5 basketball two teams compete against each other. But the court is halved and there is only one hoop. The game is a quick one which takes place within 10 minutes. There is no halftime or quarters and also no break after scoring. The shot clock is 12 seconds, as per Fiba.Basketball.

The game can have a maximum of 21 points from each team. The first team to reach 21 points wins the game. In case none of the squad is able to reach 21 points then the team with the maximum score at the end of the game wins. But if there is a tie then the first team to reach 2 points in the Overtime wins the game.

Scoring can only yield either one or a maximum of two points at a time. While scoring from inside the arc amounts to a singular point, every shot taken from behind the arc is given two points. If there is a foul then the non-fouling team gets the possession. Plus, in order to discuss strategy or boost the players, one time-out is allowed per team and hence, the coaches utilize it more judiciously from how they do it in the 5*5 basketball. The participants for the USA include Rhyne Howard, Dearica Hamby, Hailey Van Lith, and Cierra Burdick.

Hopefully, as perceived, the 3*3 basketball will do wonders at the Summer Olympics. Though it is still in its nascent stage in the Olympics since it has been played just once before in the Tokyo Olympics. Nonetheless, it will excite fans who will flock to the arena to watch their stars in action.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting pilot episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and SEC All-Freshman Team Selection, Silas Demary Jr.