FIBA delivers gender-equity concept for 3×3 Olympic event at Tokyo 2020 (updated)

FIBA delivers gender-equity concept for 3×3 Olympic event at Tokyo 2020 (updated)

The press release has been updated to reflect the fact there have been previous African women officiating in basketball at the Olympics

There will be an equal number of men and women’s athletes, referees, sports supervisors, MC’s and DJ’s as 3×3 makes its Olympic debut in Tokyo, Japan on July 24-28.

“The promotion of women in basketball is one of the three strategic priorities of FIBA for the 2019-2023 cycle,” FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis said.

“We wanted to use the Olympic stage to send a strong and positive message for parity, which is paramount in basketball, especially in 3×3.”

Eight men’s teams and eight women’s teams (meaning 32 athletes in each gender) will compete in Tokyo. They will play on the same court with the same ball, at the same venue, alternating between men and women’s games on the same days. This concept is rooted in 3×3: it applies to every single national FIBA3x3 competition, including the yearly FIBA 3×3 World Cup.

There will be twelve referees officiating in Tokyo (six men, six women). They will be assigned games in each gender. It is very common for female referees to officiate men’s games in 3×3. The youngest 3×3 referee in Tokyo (at 31 years old) Cecilia Toth from Hungary was one of the two referees in charge of the men’s final of the last 3×3 Europe Cup in 2019.

The gender-equity concept will extend (beyond athletes and referees) to the two sports supervisors, two DJ’s and four MC’s.

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