MIES (Switzerland) - At first glance, the FIBA 3x3 Elite Youth Training Camp 2025 held in Dakar from 31 October to 2 November looked like any other development clinic.
A closer look suggests it was anything but. Organised by FIBA with support from Olympic Solidarity’s Youth Athlete Development Programme and the Senegalese Basketball Federation, the immediate goal was to raise the level of the 3x3 game in Africa in time for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.
To that end, U16 teams of four boys and four girls from three top-ranked African nations in the 3x3 youth category -- Algeria, Egypt, and Kenya -- were invited to participate alongside players from YOG host Senegal.
Far from being a high-performance pathway just for athletes, the camp also set out to improve the skills and knowledge of a gender-balanced group of eight coaches and 37 referees and table officials from the four countries.
The holistic nature of the camp was pivotal to helping elevate the game systemically, according to Natalia Galkina, Senior Manager of National Federations at FIBA.
"All key stakeholders -- players, coaches, referees, and table officials -- were trained together, recognising their interdependence," said Galkina, adding that athletes can only perform at their best if the officials are capable of managing the demands of the elite game.
"The integrated approach ensured consistency, efficiency, and overall quality of competition, highlighting the importance of raising technical expertise among officials alongside players," she added.
FIBA employed leading experts to run the camp, including Head Coach of the French Men’s 3x3 National Team and Paris 2024 silver medallist Karim Souchu, game operations and officiating expert Corinne Taeye, and FIBA instructor Najib Chajiddine. Together they put the athletes through their paces and delivered modules for each stakeholder group on topics ranging from judging and refereeing to strength training and diversity and inclusion.
For Senegalese player Seyni Ndoye, the three-day camp hit all the right notes. "This experience helped me read the game better, control the pace, and be more effective in important moments," she said. "The specific 3x3 training gave me more confidence and helped me prepare to play against different and strong opponents."
Senegalese referee Aissatou was most impressed by the spirit of camaraderie she experienced: "The camp was very important because it allowed everyone -- players, coaches, and officials -- to improve together. We all learned in the same environment, with the same goals and high standards. This teamwork helps raise the overall level of 3x3 basketball in Senegal."
Importantly, the Dakar training camp was never conceived to be a one-off event. As part of a longer-term approach by FIBA, it was designed to be scaled to context and replicated elsewhere in Africa and around the world, thus ensuring a sustained, positive impact for 3x3 long after Dakar 2026 comes to a close.
"The FIBA 3x3 camp was fully aligned with FIBA’s broader development and legacy approach, including initiatives such as FIBA Plus, which seeks to use basketball as a platform for sustainable development, social impact and long-term capacity building," said FIBA 3x3 Africa Manager Mihary Randriana.
The camp was also the perfect complement to the many youth-focused activities funded by Olympic Solidarity across Africa targeted at strengthening the overall sports infrastructure on the continent, from grassroots to elite. These include initiatives connected to Olympafrica Centres, the Olympic Values Education Programme (OVEP), Olympism 365, FIBA Hoops for Hope Project, and many others.
The goals are simple: higher medal counts at national and international events and a stronger sporting infrastructure for the continent.
These strategic investments are already paying dividends. In December, just weeks after the clinic, the Algerian boys’ team claimed silver and the Kenyan girls took bronze at the 4th African Youth Games in Angola.
If the recent podium finishes are any indication, the systemic elevation of African sport is already well under way. All eyes will now be on Dakar 2026 -- and beyond -- to see just how high it can go.
*This first appeared on Olympics.com.
FIBA