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Home News 3×3 FISU World University League finals kick off in Xiamen

3×3 FISU World University League finals kick off in Xiamen

14 September 2017

The finest university 3×3 basketball teams from around the globe comprise the 2017 finals

 

 

VU University Amsterdam was all smiles before the finals. This carried over into their first game, which they won 20:10.  

 XIAMEN  The third edition of the 3×3 FISU World University League finals kicked off today on the Huaqiao University, the international home of university 3×3 basketball.

 

 

For four days, a central part of the university campus turns into a stage for the finest university basketball players to play for the world league title. Sixteen men’s and 16 women’s university teams made it to Xiamen after qualifying through a series of national and continental tournaments, ensuring the field is comprised of the finest 3×3 university basketball teams from around the globe.

 

The Opening Ceremony was marked by speeches and cultural performances before sport took centre stage With the 3×3 League showing its ability to cultivate basketball talent as it moves from the grassroots to the professional level, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) is rewarding the men’s and women’s winners with a ticket to the FIBA 3×3 World Tour Mexico City Masters later this month.

 

 

Back in Xiamen, the League finals opened today with the opening ceremony. Joining FISU First Vice-President Leona Eder was the generational basketball icon Yao Ming. Now the chairman of the Chinese Basketball Association, it was during the Beijing Summer Universiade in 2001 that Yao was heavily scouted by National Basketball Association (NBA) executives. The next year, the Houston Rockets drafted Yao with the number one pick in the NBA draft. Yao went on to become an NBA Hall of Fame player.

 

The distinguished guests and hosts that officially opened the 3rd edition of the 3×3 World University League finals.  

Joining Eder and Ming as distinguished guests were the deputy mayor of Xiamen, Lin Rui, and the headmaster of Huaqiao University, Jia Yimin. The four leaders and guests made speeches one by one and expressed their gratitudes and benedictions to the following tournaments. The raising of the FISU flag followed as the FISU anthem played. After a solemn oath of athletes and judgements to fair play, basketball games got underway with preliminary play.

 

FISU First Vice-President Leonz Eder fielding questions from the media after the opening press conference on Wednesday 

Where You Can Watch the 3×3 League Finals Live

 

With games underway, and three more competition days to come keep checking back in and following all the action, both here and on the FISU Social Media channels. Every 12 minute game is broadcast live to a worldwide audience in its entirety on livestream.com/FISU and through FISU’s Facebook Live channel.

 

Played on half a regular basketball court, 3×3 allows for experimentation in sport presentation that benefits both the athletes and fans alike 

When you can catch the action on Eurosport 2 

 

 

Also, you don’t want to miss the Eurosport coverage of the event. You can catch a 90 minute highlight package of the 4 days of events on Eurosport 2 on Tuesday 19th September and at 23:00 and again on Wednesday 20th September at 11:00.