Singapore to host Fiba 3x3 World Cup in 2027

(From left) Ng Shi Yu and Jonathan Ng from Singapore (in white), taking on Chinese Taipei's Lin Sin-kuan and Yu Xiang-ping during their pool victory in at the 2023 Fiba 3x3 Asia Cup. PHOTO: ST FILE

SINGAPORE – For the first time, Singapore will compete in a basketball World Cup, after world governing body Fiba and local sports agency Sport Singapore (SportSG) announced that the Republic will host the Fiba 3x3 World Cup in June 2027.

The marquee event is expected to welcome 40 teams from around the world for the seven-day men’s and women’s tournaments. As host, Singapore will get direct entry to both competitions. More details of the venue and dates will be shared later, said Fiba and SportSG.

At the opening ceremony of the ongoing Fiba 3x3 Asia Cup at the OCBC Square on March 28, Fiba managing director Alex Sanchez presented a token to SportSG chairman Kon Yin Tong to mark the milestone. Both parties also revealed that Singapore will continue to host the 3x3 Asia Cup for a fifth consecutive year, as well as the 3x3 World Cup qualifier, in April 2026.

The qualifier will take place right after the 3x3 Asia Cup and will feature more than 24 teams vying for spots at the 3x3 World Cup in 2026.

Sanchez said: “We are incredibly excited and fortunate to have such strong partners in Singapore, who share our passion for 3x3 basketball and the delivery of world-class events.

“The Singapore Sports Hub, a renowned venue for major sporting events, will provide the perfect setting to host the Fiba 3x3 Asia Cup and the 3x3 World Cup Qualifiers in 2026. As we gear up to welcome the best players for the final Fiba 3x3 World Cup before the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, we are confident that Singapore will deliver beyond our expectations.”

In recent years, there has been a push to strengthen the 3x3 basketball scene in Singapore, where the event was first introduced at the Youth Olympics Games in 2010.

Other than the hosting of the Fiba 3x3 Asia Cup since 2022, the Basketball Association of Singapore appointed Serbian Lazar Rasic, a 2017 Fiba 3x3 World Tour title winner, in 2023 and set a target to win gold at the 2029 SEA Games and qualify for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics.

Singapore are ranked 19th and 31st in the women and men’s 3x3 world rankings respectively, and they are both among the top five teams in Asia.

The Singapore women’s 3x3 players will be looking for improvement after their Asia Cup elimination following the 22-6 defeat by Japan and 21-10 loss to Vietnam in Pool C.

Captain Tang Choy Ting said: “I’m excited by the announcement because it’s an opportunity to play at the highest level and for people in Singapore to know more about and try 3x3 basketball so that we can have more people playing and growing the sport.

“Playing against the world’s best teams will definitely help us improve. For example, we learnt how we can still improve on our agility against the faster Japanese players, and also work on our concentration because we were letting Vietnam score a lot of two-pointers.”

The extended partnership between Fiba and SportSG is aimed at growing interest in basketball and establishing Singapore, where there are over 1,100 basketball courts across the island, as a regional hub for the sport.

SportSG chief executive officer Alan Goh said: “Extending our partnership with Fiba through 2026 and 2027 reflects the popularity of basketball as one of our most popular team sports in Singapore.

“With these marquee tournaments alongside our grassroots basketball programmes, we aim to benefit our Team Singapore basketball players while also ensuring that basketball remains accessible as a sport for all in Singapore.”

Quek Swee Kuan, CEO of Kallang Alive Sport Management, which manages the Sports Hub, added: “We look forward to building on this momentum – curating accessible programming and creating unforgettable experiences for athletes and the basketball community – and cementing the Singapore Sports Hub as a preferred destination for international sporting events.”

Other than the 3x3 basketball events, Singapore will host the upcoming NBA Rising Stars Invitational in June and the Fiba Intercontinental Cup in September.

Along with Macau, it has also been touted as a potential host for a US$5 billion (S$6.7 billion) basketball league that will span Asia and Europe to one day rival the NBA, with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund as a strategic partner and Swiss bank UBS as an adviser.

The Financial Times reported in February that the competition plans to create six men’s teams and six women’s teams who will compete in eight host cities.

The Straits Times understands that while Singapore is not part of the investor group, it is in the early stages of exploring the terms of the arrangement, although no agreement has been signed.

A spokesperson from the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth said then: “We welcome the opportunity to partner this new league, including as a key venue for their events.

“We also welcome them to consider setting up their global HQ in Singapore, which can be supported by excellent infrastructure and our position as a key business and financial hub in Asia. We are at an early stage of exploring the terms of the arrangement and will only assess the issue of investment at the appropriate time.”

David Lee is senior sports correspondent at The Straits Times focusing on aquatics, badminton, basketball, cue sports, football and table tennis.

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