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3×3 Basketball Olympic Qualifying Round to be Held in Debrecen

From 4th-6th June, Hungary will host an Olympic qualifying tournament in the 3 × 3 basketball field. The organizing committee held an online press conference about the event. 

FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis announced that the qualifier will be held in Debrecen, where the last two rounds will be hosted.

Every year since 2015, Debrecen has been an important venue for FIBA ​​3 × 3 events, which has become one of the most iconic terrains in the world, the Secretary-General explained.

The tournament will bring 6 men’s and 6 women’s national teams to Debrecen, including the Hungarian women’s national team which won silver in the world championship including Dóra Medgyessy from Debrecen.

Tünde Szabó, Secretary of State for Sport, said that it is always a great pleasure to bring an important international sporting event to Hungary. She pointed out that many competitions had to be postponed last year, but this event in Debrecen indicates that sports life is beginning to revive. The city of Debrecen has already proved its commitment to sports on several occasions, which is a guarantee of a successful organization, Tünde Szabó said.

Mayor László Papp expressed his joy that Debrecen will be the venue for the very important Olympic qualifiers. In the life of a city, it is important that the progress is tangible, this is also indicated by this decision, he said. The mayor remembered that the reception of fans in the city was amazing from the very beginning, although at first it was not known at the time that the sport would be included in the Olympic program.


The main square of Debrecen is a popular place for basketball tournaments

I am very proud that Debrecen can host an Olympic qualifier. We will pay close attention to the health situation. Debrecen also did well in the last water polo World League event, László Papp said and who added that the city would be preparing for the event with an increased spectator system. If there were no restrictions, as many as 2,000 fans could watch the events.

The mayor added that the basketball events so far have also brought Debrecen’s good reputation all over the world, as more than 10 million people have watched the matches recently. And for the city, such publicity is a huge opportunity.

Ferenc Szalay, the president of the Hungarian Basketball Association, said the decision is a sports diplomacy success. István Becsky, the chairman of the organizing committee, pointed out that they as organizers have reached the top. Hungary and Debrecen have done a lot to make 3 × 3 basketball an Olympic sport, he added. .

8 teams by gender will be able to travel to Tokyo, 4-4 teams will definitely be there thanks to the World Ranking points at the Olympics.

For women, Russia, China, Mongolia and Romania, and for men, Serbia, Russia, China and Japan can prepare for the five-ring games. There will be a qualifying tournament in Austria for the remaining places in which the Hungarian women’s team is also committed. The first three teams out of 20 men’s and 20 women’s teams can participate in the games in Japan.

The last remaining quota will be hosted in Debrecen, where teams from the nations with the highest rankings in the world rankings that have not participated in 5×5 basketball games in the last two Olympics can take part.

The women’s team, which won the European Championship gold in 2016 and the silver medal in 2019, has a good chance to get to the Olympics in Austria between 26th and 30th May 2021. 

Knowing the possible opponents, the team of Dóra Medgyessy might have a great chance to win in Debrecen. The men’s national team will only have a chance to win a quota at home.

Details of the Debrecen basketball world competitions in 2021:

4th-6th June: 3×3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament

7th-15th August: Women’s U19 World Championship (there will also be a men’s U19 World Cup in 2022)

24th-29th August: 3×3 U18 World Championships and 3×3 World Tour Masters

Source: Dehir

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