Sport Preview: Basketball 3×3
Basketball 3×3 is set to make its second Pacific Games appearance in Honiara as the Sol2023 Pacific Games when the competition begins on Wednesday.
The four-day tournaments for men and women will be hosted at the Solomon Islands Football Federation (SIFF) Academy.
The competitions will see a total of 12 men’s and 10 women’s teams placed in two different pools, with the top two teams from each pool going straight into the semi-finals.
Gold medallists in the men’s 3×3 basketball at the Samoa 2019 Pacific Games, Guam, will be looking to defend their title but face a huge challenge from Fiji, who have proved they are in Honiara to win gold after their triumph in the men’s basketball 5×5 competition last week at Friendship Hall.
Samoa 2019 bronze medallists Cook Islands will also be another team to look out for, as they have grown so much in the code.
In the women’s category, Fiji faces stiff competition from the other competing nations, as all will be looking to snatch gold from the reigning champions.
Basketball fans in Honiara are expected to turn out in numbers to witness the best 3×3 ballers go head-to-head with each other.
Competing countries in the men’s competition are Fiji, Guam, Marshall Islands, American Samoa, Cook Islands, New Caledonia, Palau, PNG, Samoa, Tahiti, Tonga, and Solomon Islands.
The women’s event features Guam, New Caledonia, PNG, Tahiti, Tonga, Cook Islands, Fiji, Marshall Islands, Samoa, and Solomon Islands.
Tickets are $30 and will be on sale at the gate.
By Timothy Inifiri Jnr, Pacific Games News Service
