First 3x3 basketball Olympic qualifiers in HK

Hong Kong is hosting the FIBA 3x3 basketball Olympic qualifying tournament for the first time, with the event taking place from April 12 to 14 at Victoria Park. Matthew Li, media director of the local organising committee, said the tournament would promote the sport in SAR. This version of basketball features a three-a-side game played on a half-sized court with one net and it's only the second-time it has featured at the Olympics. "By hosting the event, team Hong Kong gets a chance to participate in the competition, and they will get a chance to win a ticket to Paris, and it is very special because for the Hong Kong team, their ranking is a little bit far away from the top class teams in the world," he said. "For us, it is a little bit difficult to get a chance to play in the tournament this time. May be in the future, 10 years or 20 years later, we will get the chance, but we got a chance by hosting the event." He also said the tournament would be unique as it combines both sport and a street fair into one event to highlight the original street basketball culture of America. "As 3x3 is developed from street basketball from the US, it contains a lot of street culture in 3x3, including hip hop, dancing, breakdance or graffiti, music; [there are] a lot of street culture things in this sport," he said. "We try to hold also a street fair in this event because we want to show the Hong Kong people and all over the world that street culture is an important part of 3x3 and their relationship is so close." Li added the event would showcase Hong Kong's position as international sports tourism hub, capable of attracting large crowds to the territory for its food, retail, sports and culture.