No reasons, no excuses: JUST PLAY

KUALA LUMPUR (Mageshwaran's AsiaScope) - The next two weeks will see basketball fans in Asia witness their favorite teams go into competitive mode in the latest format of their sport: FIBA Asia 3x3. Much has been spoken about this format of the sport - on the speed of the games, the felicity of being on court for the otherwise deprived, the opportunity for a larger group of participants et al. Such talk is a thing of the past and the time now is to focus the attention on two words: Just Play.

The excitement and euphoria with which the national federations of FIBA Asia have taken to this sport is a factor that adds a couple of inches to the chests of all those involved in this format in FIBA Asia and the expectations, if nothing else, are sky-high.

Of course, both in Doha (for the first FIBA Asia 3x3 Championship for Men and Women) and Bangkok (for the first FIBA Asia 3x3 U18 Championship for Boys and Girls), the number of participating teams is unprecedented in FIBA Asia competitions for a single venue. Local Organising Committees in both cities are indeed, bravely and brazenly, rising to the occasion to meet the logistical challenges that are no less than organising an Asian Games itself! Simply put: hats off to them!

FIBA Asia Secretary General Hagop Khajirian put it succinctly: "The FIBA Asia 3x3 is a step forward in terms of bringing more and more people into the game. This is a great opportunity for creating a platform to promote its core purpose: the joy of playing. The FIBA Asia 3x3 is a competitive event, yet at the same time provides for creating a festival atmosphere around the sport we all love."

Sport, as aptly professed by the Father of Modern Olympics, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, "is part of every man and woman's heritage and its absence can never be compensated for."

The above two thoughts, read together with the appropriate juxtaposition of words, spell out the very essence of FIBA Asia 3x3.

Countries, who in the past might have hesitated to field teams fearing failure, have shown the gumption to break the ice; and countries who came into competitions with 'hot favorites' status are finding themselves on par on with the rest of the fray.

"We feel very positive about FIBA Asia 3x3 basketball and welcome the inclusion of this discipline as an official format," says Indonesia Basketball Federation Secretary General Agus Mauro, an avid FIBA Asia 3x3 buff.

"For countries like Indonesia, the 3x3 format creates a level playing field to take on the powerhouses of basketball."

Listen in to what India's iconic women's star Geethu Anna Jose says.

"When we won the gold medal (at the Haiyang Asian Beach Games), it was a pleasant surprise. But it instilled the confidence in us that we too can win in this format. That confidence has brought about a sea-change in the way we approach the game itself," says Jose, the only player to figure in the top three of the scoring charts at the last three FIBA Asia Championships for Women.

Nepal, as a country, broke away from being only known as the country of Mount Everest, thanks to 3x3.

"We found new opportunities to compete through 3x3. There were many disadvantages for Nepal in becoming competitive in the traditional format of the game. But with 3x3 basketball, players in Nepal have found unprecedented opportunities and that obviously has led to more players coming into the sport," says Nepal Basketball Federation President Lama Tendi Sherpa.

With such a wide variety of factors influencing the advent of 3x3, the moment of reckoning for the participants is here and now. And the only mandate for all of them in 3x3 is: Just Play.

We'll watch how the 3x3 unravels on the FIBA Asia fraternity. But that's for next week. For now, it’s time to Just Play.

So long…

S Mageshwaran

FIBA Asia

FIBA's columnists write on a wide range of topics relating to basketball that are of interest to them. The opinions they express are their own and in no way reflect those of FIBA.

FIBA takes no responsibility and gives no guarantees, warranties or representations, implied or otherwise, for the content or accuracy of the content and opinion expressed in the above article.