Since basketball-it will be a 3on3 game-has been included as one of the medal disciplines in the first Youth Olympic Games to be held in August 2010 (venue yet to be selected), FIBA has already got down to serious business of making a success of the sport during the Games.As a prelude, the game’s world body has begun its experiment in right earnest. With the first opportunity available, FIBA approached the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and the second Asian Indoor Games organisers in Macau to help it find the technical, administrative and sporting feasibility of the game by including it as a demonstration sport.With OCA and the Macau Games organisers giving their nod, FIBA has sounded out 10 teams — China, Chinese Taipei, India, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, Lebanon, Macau, Malaysia and the Philippines — from the region to send in a six-member team to Macau.The Basketball Federation of India (BFI) will be sending its five-member team — Pratham Singh (Chattisgarh), Sunil Kumar (Delhi), Vishesh Bhriguvanshi (UP), R Ramachandran (TN) and coach Aleksander Bucan — to represent the country during demonstration in Macau. The team left in the wee hours this morning.This is the first time that FIBA is experimenting with the 3on3 format and this, according to BFI secretary-general Harish Sharma, is to make the game even faster and attract the crowd. Besides, with prime time spots on sports channels becoming increasingly difficult, it is felt that a shorter version of the game will generate interest among the viewers. Though FIBA is still working out on the rules for the new format, the main rules of the game are:As the format of 3on3 suggests, only three players will be allowed on court with one substitute available on the bench; similarly, a maximum of two officials. The game will be played on a court half the size of a regular FIBA basketball court. The game will be played in 2x8 minutes — that is maximum of 16 minutes to be played in two halves. The first team that scores 21 points will be the winner and it can happen even before the end of the regular playing time. Each team will play against all other teams in its group with the top two playing the finals. There will also be play-offs for 3rd and 4th spots.FIBA has invited 10 countries with some standby — Hong Kong, Indonesia, Iran, Jordan and Kazakhstan — in case the main teams pull out because the cost of return airfare and stay at Macau ($50 per person, per day) has to be borne by the invited teams. However, FIBA, will be pay $2,000 to each team as its contribution towards the promotion game.
