Road to Xiamen 2017: Asian Qualifiers Poised for Deep Run at 3×3 Basketball League Finals

The Asian qualifier saw a total of 20 teams competing for the Asian Championship, with coveted tickets to the World University League finals on the line. Four different countries succeeded, and all look poised to play for the gold.

LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – At the 3^rd Asian University 3X3 Basketball Championships in Cyberjaya, Malaysia held earlier in April, four universities played their way into the World University finals.

Cyberjaya, a city on the outskirts of the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur welcomed 11 men’s and 9 women’s teams, that represented 11 different National University Sport Federations (NUSFs) in the third edition of this tournament. By the tournament’s end, university teams from Mongolia, Indonesia, Chinese Taipei and China earned their place in the world university 3×3 basketball finals that will be held the 14-17 of September in Xiamen, China.

 With events like FISU’s World University League, 3×3 Basketball has quickly become the No.1 urban team sport in the world

The two finalists in the men’s and two women’s brackets join a field of 16 men’s and 16 women’s university teams that will go head-to-head for the ultimate prize in 3×3 basketball prize – the World University League title.

With just over a month until the League finals, it’s time to check in with the teams representing Asia in Xiamen at the Huaqiao University campus, the centre of world university 3×3 Basketball.

Asian men’s teams playing for the 3×3 World University League title

 World University League 2016 finals in action

Mon-Altius Physical Education Institute (Mongolia)

Mon-Altius Physical Education Institute (MAI) is a private higher education institution, established in 1997, located in the city of Ulaanbaatar, capital of Mongolia. It is a coeducational higher education institution officially recognized by the Mongolian National Council for Education Accreditation. The MAI offers bachelor degree programs in 7 specialties and a master degree in physical culture and sports. It focuses on students with a niche program, with dedicated sports facilities, complemented with international cooperation activities with universities and sports organisations. This will be the team’s first participation at the League Finals.

 In 3×3 basketball, the energy limits are pretty much always pegged on maximum

Pelita Harapan University (Indonesia)

Pelita Harapan University is a private Christian university located in the urban setting of the Tangerang, Banten, Indonesia. It was founded in 1994 and is a non-profit private higher education institution with branch campuses in various other locations. The University is officially accredited Indonesian Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education and offers courses and programs of education and master degrees, being the first university in Indonesia to introduce programs entirely taught in English, the first to offer a liberal arts curriculum and the first to introduce a multi-disciplinary approach to its programs. This will also be the team’s first participation at the League Finals.

Asian women’s teams playing for the 3×3 World University League title

3×3 basketball finds beauty comes in its simplicity. It’s played on half a court, with one hoop. There’s no halftime, no quarters, no coaching timeouts.  

Chinese Culture University (Chinese Taipei)

In the women’s tournament, the Chinese Culture University is a private university located in Yangmingshan in Shilin District, Chinese Taipei. It was established in 1962 and is one of the largest universities with an enrolment of about 32,000 students. The university is organized into twelve academic colleges including Liberal Arts, Foreign Language and Literature, Social Sciences, Science, Engineering, Business Administration, Journalism and Communications, Arts, Environmental Design, Law, Agriculture and Education. In 2016, the PCCU finished in 3^rd place at the WUL by beating the University of Sydney (AUS) 15-16 in the bronze medal game.

Peking University (China)

Peking University is a major Chinese research university located in Beijing and is consistently ranked as the top academic institution in China and the world. It is the first modern national university established in China, founded as the Imperial University of Peking in 1898, having served as the highest administration for education in China at the beginning of its founding. It is currently ranked among the world’s top 20 universities. In addition to academics, Peking University is especially renowned for its campus grounds and the beauty of its traditional Chinese architecture. Throughout its history, the university has educated and hosted many prominent modern Chinese thinkers such as Mao Zedong and current Premier Li Keqiang. In sports, more specifically at the 3×3 WUL, Peking University lost 17-16 in the quarter-finals at the 2016 WUL to the University of Sydney (AUS).

The Road to Xiamen 2017 will continue next week with the tournament draw results on 14 August for the 3×3 FISU World University League – 2017 Finals.