The first day of the FIBA 3×3 World Tour Abu Dhabi Final has drawn to a close – and what a spectacle we saw. Twelve games from the best 12 3×3 teams on the planet entertained and encapsulated the sold-out arena, with eight teams going through to today’s final. Those qualified are:
Ub
Lausanne
Amsterdam
Omaha
Vienna
Riga
Antwerp
Ulaanbaatar
The audience were also treated to seeing the finals of the 3×3 Community Basketball Championship. Thanks to Abu Dhabi Sports Council, local teams from across the UAE have had the chance to compete at local basketball courts, with the winners getting to battle it out at the main arena itself. Winners were:
Open Height Men’s Division
Winner: For Three
Open Height women’s division
Winner: FBMA
5’10” & below women’s division
Winner: Ballers Nation
5’10” & below men’s division
Winner: masters- thread & needles
Suhail Al-Arifi, Executive Director of the Events Sector at the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, confirmed that: “the first day’s competitions witnessed a large audience, and a collection of the best 3×3 basketball players in the world, while the opening ceremony reflected the spirit and vitality of the basketball game on the newest waterfront in Abu Dhabi (Yas Bay).
“Abu Dhabi Sports Council was keen to provide all success factors for the Championship, in order to complement the successes achieved in the past years. I would also like to thank to the close cooperation and distinguished partnership with the International Basketball Federation,” added Al-Arifi.
It is worth noting that the 2022 season started 7 months ago and covered 11 cities around the world. More than 440 basketball matches were held with thousands of points scored, all in aid of reaching the last stop of the Tour in Abu Dhabi, ready to compete for the podium glory, and of course vie for the prize purse of $375,000.
Source: Abu Dhabi Sports Council