ACCRA (Ghana) – The University of Ghana Basketball Court, Accra will light up between March 18-22 when 20 teams (16 Men's and 14 Women's national sides) begin battle for gold medals in the 3x3 event of Africa Games.

MEN
Reigning African Games champions Madagascar will attempt to retain the gold medal wading off challenges from 15 other nations including host Ghana. They will have strong contenders in Egypt who finished in second place at the 2019 Africa Games to contend with while hoping that fast-rising Benin and Togo don’t pull the surprise button in the process.

Tunisia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Algeria, Kenya, Uganda, Morocco, Cote d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Rwanda, Tanzania and Bostwana are the other teams that cannot be taken for granted.

Bronze medalist at the 2019 edition Nigeria is not in this equation haven fallen out of the top 16 ranking in the continent.

At the 2022 FIBA 3X3 Africa Cup, Madagascar reined supreme defeating Egypt in the final 20-17 while Rwanda defeated Tunisia 21-17 for bronze. DR Congo, Morocco, Botswana and Kenya followed in that order. The 16 teams already knew the ability of the other and would use the Africa Games as another opportunity to outwit each other for the prized gold medal.

WOMEN
The 3X3 women's event will only have 14 teams on parade following the withdrawals of Liberia, Gabon. Both sides were replaced by Nigeria and Ethiopia despite being out of the top 16 ranking on the continent. Only last week Kenya and Bostwana further depleted the field withdrawing from the event.

However, despite the 14-team field, the battle for gold is certain to be fierce given that 2019 gold medalists Nigeria is not as hot as they were the last time out. But Mali and the Democratic Republic of Congo which won silver and bronze back in 2019 are in the mix of the top 16 teams on the continent and will be hard to crack as they redouble their efforts to better their lots of 2019.

Teams from Egypt, Tunisia, Benin, Uganda, Morocco, Algeria, Zambia, Madagascar, Burundi, Tanzania and Togo will be looking to challenge for a podium finish.

Host Ghana is still smarting from the silver-winning performance at the ANOCA Zone III championship held in Togo last December will bank on home support to gun for the gold medal. The team lost 13-6 to Cote d'Ivoire in the finals played at the University of Lome courts.

Ghana’s team, made up of skipper Carlen N. Adjei, Gloria Gyampoh, Hannah Amoako, and Stephanie A. Annan, began the competition on a losing note as they lost 9-8 to Benin but then redeemed herself by beating Cote d’Ivoire 10-7 and bitter rivals Nigeria 13-11 to qualify for the finals.

In the final game, the Ghanaian side started well but succumbed to the Ivorians Chairman of the 3X3 event for the Africa Games, Idris Ayambire told FIBA.basketball that all is set for the teams to compete.

"All the technical equipment from FIBA Africa is on the ground and the government of Ghana has added its own some others to ensure that nothing is lacking."

FIBA