How many games are played in olympic basketball

Just the Facts: Olympic Men's Basketball

History, top teams and all you need to know

Basketball was invented in the United States of America in 1891. But it didn’t take too long for the sport to become popular. Today, it’s one of the most-watched sports in the world.

Its rise can be traced back to its roots in a gym class in Springfield, Massachusetts, making its way into high school and colleges before evolving into a professional sport it is today. Eventually, it made its way to the sport’s grandest events.

When did basketball start in the Olympics?

Basketball was introduced in the Olympic programme at the 1904 Games in St Louis as a demonstration event. Basketball was first contested as a medal event at the 1936 Olympics. Women’s basketball, meanwhile, made its debut at the Montreal 1976 Games.

3x3 basketball made its Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020.

Who qualifies for Olympic basketball?

A total of 12 teams, each in the men’s and the women’s competition, qualify for the basketball event at the Olympic Games.

While seven teams can gain entry through the FIBA World Cup, four slots are determined through the FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament. The last remaining slot is reserved for the hosts.

Which country has won the most Olympic gold medals in basketball?

The United States of America is the most successful team in the history of Olympics basketball.

The USA Olympic men’s basketball team has won the gold medal a record 16 times, which includes an unbeaten streak from 1936 to 1968.

The USA women’s basketball team, meanwhile, has pocketed the gold medal on nine occasions. This includes an unbeaten run that’s still in place and dates back to Atlanta 1996.

USA dominates Olympic basketball

Having invented the sport in the late 1800s, it was no surprise that the USA dominated basketball once it was included as a medal event at the 1936 Olympics.

With the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) playing a key role in spreading the sport to various nations, as many as 21 teams competed for the top honours at the Berlin 1936 Games.

But none could stand in the USA’s way as they romped home to emphatic wins in each of their matches to take home the gold.

The coming years saw the Americans grow stronger as they retained the Olympic title in commanding fashion. With no losses throughout their campaigns, their wins in the gold medal matches were most startling.

The USA basketball team beat France 65-21 in the final of the 1948 Games. The Soviet Union, meanwhile, lost to the Americans in the following four editions -- 1952, 1956, 1960 and 1964 -- with the champions recording dominating wins to retain their crown.

This period also saw the rise of the Soviet Union as a force in the international basketball scene.

The Soviets had made their presence felt at the continental stage by winning the biennial European Basketball Championships 10 times from 1951 to 1971 and the FIBA World Championships in 1972.

And when the 1972 Munich Olympics came around, their sole focus was to capture the only title missing from their cabinet -- an Olympic gold in basketball.

USA gets a shock at Munich Olympics

Coming into the Munich Olympics, the Americans were once again favourites to retain their title. But a look at their build-up suggested otherwise.

They had lost out to the Soviets in the final of the 1970 World University Games and bowed out of the 1971 Pan American Games without a medal.

What really hurt them in this phase was the lack of international experience in the squad. With the Olympic competition being restricted to amateurs, the best hoopsters in America were kept out of the Olympic team -- as they turned pro by joining the NBA -- while the top collegiate talent made up the squad.

Though this worked for the USA in the previous editions, this time the Soviets had found a way to exploit the American limitation by listing their players as soldiers or workers, which allowed them to breach the amateur rules.

This meant while the USA had high school sophomore Doug Collins and the North Carolina State University rookie Tommy Burleson as their best players, the Soviets rode on the brilliance of experienced stars Sergei Belov, Modestas Paulauskas and Alexander Belov.

However, it wasn’t until the gold medal game that the lack of experience came to haunt the USA.

Having come into the gold medal match without losing a game, the final was expected to be a close contest. But the Soviets had a different plan.

The USA lost to the Soviet Union in the final of the 1972 Olympics in Munich.

Picture by Getty Images

The Soviet Union basketball team controlled the proceedings with smart ball play, often using the length of the court to stretch the American defence to score points at will. The Soviets scored first and led by the healthy margin of 26-21 at the half.

“We particularly struggled against the Russians because they were adept at controlling the tempo,” Mike Bantom, a member of the ’72 team, now senior vice president for NBA player development, told the New York Times.

While the Americans mounted a comeback in the second period it wasn’t until the final six minutes that they had their opponents in trouble.

Trailing by eight points, the Americans put pressure and saw the Soviets stumble, helping them reduce the gap to just a point with six seconds left on the clock.

Down to the wire for the gold medal, Doug Collins - the pillar of his team - was not done yet as he made a fine open-court steal and drove towards the paint before being knocked down.

The foul meant the Americans were awarded two free throws to seal the match. While Collins sank them both to put his side ahead, the Soviets called for a time-out.

The game resumed with a second left, and when that went by, the United States players started celebrating. But the drama was not over yet.

Moments later, the FIBA president was seen on court asking for a redo of the final three seconds due to a refereeing error.

This time though, the Soviets ensured that they made the most of the opportunity as Alexander Belov pulled out a buzzer-beater to subject the USA to their first loss at the Olympic stage.

Though the Americans appealed against the final decision, it was turned down as the Soviet Union won their maiden basketball Olympic crown.

The Dream Team

The coming years also saw a number of countries making the most of the loopholes in the amateur player rule to field top talents at the Olympics.

However, this changed in 1992 after FIBA ruled to include professionals for the Barcelona Olympics.

This allowed the USA to select what was later dubbed as the greatest sports team ever assembled.

The team featured the likes of NBA superstars Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Patrick Ewing, Scottie Pippen and Karl Malone among others.

The Dream Team, coached by Chuck Daly, a two-time NBA champion, had a pre-competition camp in Monaco and then moved into a luxury hotel in Barcelona, where they stayed during the Games.

The Dream Team dominated the Olympic competition, sailing through to win the gold medal. They were the first team to score 100 points in every match at the Games, something that led to their head coach commenting: “It was like Elvis and the Beatles put together.”

However, it’s the legacy that the team left behind that had a lasting impact on the popularity that basketball enjoys today.

Following Barcelona 1992, foreign recruits have been a major draw in the NBA with Yao Ming and Andrea Bargnani being the number one draft picks in (2002) and (2006) respectively. Meanwhile, Dirk Nowitzki and Giannis Antetokounmpo have won the NBA MVP award since.

Olympic basketball winners: Men's

Women’s basketball at the Olympics

While the men’s game has enjoyed a storied history under the Olympic banner, women’s basketball has a similarly rich vein of tales to tap into.

The USA is the most successful team in women's Olympic basketball with eight titles.

Making its debut at the 1976 Games in Montreal, women’s basketball has been a constant presence at the Olympics ever since.

The Soviet Union was the first to claim the Olympic title in the women’s category by beating the United States in the final at the 1976 Games. While the Soviets retained their crown at their home Games in 1980, the Americans took the gold medals in the following two Games.

In 1992, a Unified Team consisting of the former Soviet Republics beat China for the title.

The Americans, however, returned to regain their crown at Atlanta 1996 and have won the title at every edition since.

Olympic basketball winners: Women's

2020 | Basketball: everything you need to know about the Olympic tournament whose history has preserved both the name of the inventor and the exact date of birth.

Basketball entered the official program of the Olympic Games in 1936 in Berlin, although it was present at the 1904 Games as a demonstration discipline. The first Olympic women's basketball tournament was held in 1976 in Montreal.

Schedule and dates

July 25 - August 8. Full schedule here.

The basketball tournament is traditionally one of the longest at the Olympics. It will begin the day after the opening ceremony, with the final match of the women's tournament taking place in Tokyo on the closing day of the Games.

Medal sets: 2

Competitions: Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament

Arena

The Olympic men's and women's basketball tournaments will be held at Saitama Super Arena, located in the suburbs of Tokyo, with a capacity of 21,000 spectators. One of the most modern sports arenas in Japan has already hosted many of the largest sports events - in particular, the world championships in basketball and figure skating.

Tournament rules and structure

Basketball is played by two teams, each of which can have five players on the court at the same time. The goal of the game is to throw the ball into the opponent's ring, which is at a height of 305 centimeters. Accurate throws have different values: one point is awarded to a team for hitting without resistance from the free throw line after an opponent foul, two points for hitting a field goal, three points for hitting a field goal from a long distance (from behind an arc located at a distance 675 centimeters from the ring). The size of the court in this sport is 28 by 15 meters. A basketball match consists of 4 periods of 10 minutes. In case of a draw in regular time, an additional period of 5 minutes is assigned to determine the winner.

12 teams each will compete in the Tokyo Olympics for men and women, and the formula for the men's and women's tournaments is the same. At the preliminary stage, the teams are divided into three groups of four teams, and according to the results of round-robin tournaments in groups of two best teams and two more best third-placed teams advance to the playoffs. Quarter-final pairs and the entire playoff bracket will be based on the ranking of teams based on the results of group tournaments.

The success of the Russians and who to follow in Tokyo

In the entire history, the Russian team has only once been able to win Olympic medals - this happened in 2012 in London, when the Russian team became the third. But the basketball players of the USSR national team under the guidance of legendary coaches won the gold of the Olympics twice: in 1972 in Munich, the team Vladimir Kondrashin won the legendary final against the US team with the famous decisive hit Alexander Belov in the last second of the game, and in 1988 in Seoul the gold medals were won by the USSR national team, led by Alexander Gomelsky . In addition, the Soviet team won silver medals at the Olympics four times and bronze three times.

In the women's tournament, the basketball players of the Russian national team twice climbed the Olympic podium, in 2004 and in 2008 winning bronze medals. Their predecessors, as well as in men's competitions, have more significant achievements, and they have three victories at the Olympics. In 1976 in Montreal and in 1980 in Moscow, the USSR team won the first two women's Olympic tournaments in history, and in 19In 1992, in Barcelona, ​​the team that competed at those Games under the name "CIS United Team" won gold. Also in the asset of the women's team of the USSR, the bronze of the Olympics in Seoul in 1988.

There will be no ROC basketball teams at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo: neither men nor women could qualify for the main start of the four-year period.

Traditionally, at the Olympic Games of the last decades, the performance of the US team is of particular interest. Since 1992, when the best players in the world from the National Basketball Association were allowed to play in the Olympic competitions, the American Dream Team (“dream team”) has only once been left without Olympic gold - in 2004, the Argentine team won a sensational victory in Athens. The US team will also be a clear favorite of the Olympics at the Tokyo Games, where the next version of the Dream Team will perform, led by forward Kevin Durant .

In the women's Olympic basketball tournament, the historical list of teams that have become Olympic champions is quite short. In addition to the already mentioned victories of the basketball players of the USSR and the Joint Team of the CIS, only one team won the gold of the Games - the US team. She has won eight Olympics, including all five previous Olympic tournaments. The chances of the US women's team to win another victory in Tokyo are very high, and only the Australians and four European teams selected for the Games - France, Spain, Belgium and Serbia - can compete with them in Tokyo.

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“The main goal of our program is to get the Russian national teams to the Olympic Games” / Russian Basketball Federation

European Games. Four Russian teams won one medal at them: men won the gold of the competition in Minsk.

It's a hot time in 3x3 world basketball right now. All leading countries have one goal - participation in the debut tournament in the framework of the 2020 Olympic Games. And at the moment, the chances of both our teams to get to Tokyo, bypassing qualifications, are quite high. About this and many other things happening in this basketball discipline, said the head of the Department of the national teams of the Russian Federation Basketball Oleg Ushakov .

- What is the current situation in world 3x3 basketball? Judging by the results of the tournaments and the emergence of a large number of strong teams from different countries, everyone is now actively developing this direction. And how does this relate to the upcoming Tokyo Olympics?

- Connected directly. Naturally, many countries rushed to make certain infusions and other steps in the development of this type of basketball. There are still no strong teams in such basketball countries as, for example, Greece and Spain, but most of them are already in the know. It is all the more pleasant that at the right time we stood on the step of a passing train. First of all, it concerns the work with the rating.

- Now Russia is on the first line in the combined rating. Women lead their own, men confidently go second after the Serbs. Yes, and all our "ages" are included in the duets of leaders. Was the work on the rating carried out purposefully?

- Recently, it has been often discussed that Russia is in the leading positions in the ranking of federations - both among women and men. At the moment we are showing the best personal results in history. And our absolute records in the women's and combined rankings are growing every day.

I hope we will have a pleasant opportunity to talk about this in more detail on November 1st. It is on this day that the results of the Olympic race will be recorded. The top three countries in the world rankings will automatically qualify for the Olympic Games. True, no more than two countries from one geographical area. Plus, both Japanese teams will play at home, this decision came already during the Olympic race, which upset all applicants, since instead of four tickets, one less was left at stake.

Indeed, the main forces of the RSE's 3x3 basketball department are sent to work with the rating. And it is important to understand that a colossal amount of work has already been done in all areas this year.

In the men's part of Russia, in this regard, it differs from Serbia, Slovenia or Latvia, where there are a sufficient number of teams that, without the help of national federations, travel around the world, regularly win Challengers and Masters and earn rating points for the country. At the same time, we are not a country like China, which has huge resources in terms of holding these competitions. Therefore, we had to look for our opportunities elsewhere.

After a thorough study of how the rating system works, we came up with ideas on how parts can be used. There are a lot of nuances, but they are not on the surface, and almost no one in the world has yet seen them. Not having a large number of teams and international competitions, we saw our chances in the correct system of holding domestic tournaments. We prepared a plan and set about implementing it.

At the moment, since the beginning of the Olympic race, on November 1, 2018, 257 men's and women's tournaments have taken place in Russia in 18 cities - under the leadership and funding of the RSE. It was these tournaments that became the basis of the rating. Let's not go deep now - there are still 4 months until the end of the Olympic race, and I would not like to hint to direct competitors that they can help. Our bet is primarily placed on this. We have a close-knit, motivated group of like-minded people, and we are moving towards our goal - getting to the Olympics by both teams, men's and women's.

Another invaluable advantage of this program is that behind it is the massive development of 3x3 basketball throughout the country. More than 1,000 men and 1,000 women have already played in these tournaments. It is important that the development of sports in general and individual players in particular is under way, a culture is being instilled. For example, judging by the first and final, 21st tournament of the Moscow round "Playground League 3x3", the progress of the participating teams is obvious. People got used to 3x3 basketball, they started playing it correctly, they know a lot about the game itself, they copy something somewhere, try new things. At the same time, the number of players, the average level in the country, the understanding of the game, and, of course, its popularity are growing.

It is also necessary to say about the referees, for whom targeted training was carried out, indicating the details of 3x3. Through practice and under the supervision of more experienced colleagues on these tours, they could develop their skills in a new discipline.

Dozens of people have also been trained to work in an event maker - a program for creating tournaments in the FIBA ​​system. This is of fundamental importance. In previous years, those who knew how to work in this program were listed, but many of them did not know many of the nuances. Figuratively speaking, put a comma in the wrong place - and the category of your tournament falls by one point, if you don't put two - by two! Therefore, our department initially carefully controlled regional tours. Then control was necessary, but gradually people learned to work correctly. This general literacy of work in the FIBA ​​system is the basis for a set of ratings. After all, you can hold a great tournament, but do not take into account the nuances, and then it will not benefit the country.

- The number of international status tournaments held in Russia has also increased.

- This year, in addition to the Moscow Open, our country will host the second challenger - in Yekaterinburg. His organization enabled us to carry out part of our plan. Also, the European United League 3x3 was held separately from the RSE, the help from the Federation was only in covering the tournament. This is an interesting undertaking, not yet in terms of ranking for the country, but with a strong competitive component. It's good when the teams in the winter, during the off-season, can have game practice. We hope that the project will develop and grow to the level of the Pro League, which FIBA ​​is now actively implementing around the world. There are high financial requirements, and you need permission from the federation. We have already given our consent, the rest is in the hands of the project managers.

In addition, a tandem (that is, two stages) of the U23 League of Nations took place in Moscow. And this is another part of our strategy - especially with regards to the women's ranking. Although here, the main role in the Olympic race will not be played by national team tournaments. Of course, FIBA ​​is on the path of strengthening the influence of the Pro-cycle on the rating. But today, proper planning and holding of internal tournaments is much more important.

We “harnessed” for a long time, practiced with our own hands at the Moscow Playground League 3x3. In the process of this tour, the strengths and weaknesses of certain solutions were already revealed in a practical way. And then massively began to work with the regions. Already giving them specific instructions on how to run the tours. We are grateful to our regional colleagues who have done an excellent job and contributed to the implementation of our plans.

We currently have 15 women's tours going on. It is possible that at the end of summer-autumn a few more will be added to them. Of course, we counted on the replenishment of the rating from our main teams, which did not happen. Despite this, we believe in our system and in the fact that the RSE will be able to maintain its positions. Of course, not everything depends on us. Let's see how competitors will work out the remaining 4 months.

- The US men's team and China's women's team won the World Cup for the first time. At the European Games, women's France and men's Russia became the winners. How big is the value from this variety of champions?

- This is useful and much more interesting than the victories of male Serbia from year to year. The US team made a strong impression. We know three players from the Pro cycle. So they all looked completely different than in the matches for Princeton. Obviously, closer to the Olympics in the United States began to show more interest in 3x3. This was not the case before. After all, everyone is well aware of the potential of the Americans. If they take it seriously, the rest will have a very hard time. The Serbs have already felt it for themselves.

As for the women's part of the World Cup, China's victory is absolutely deserved, and this should not be surprising. Last year, this team was obliged to play in the final with Russia. However, the Italians caught an incredible courage. China gave away that game itself, although the whole tournament went very well.

In China, huge resources are invested in 3x3 basketball - both financial and human. Yes, there are problems for men, but the women's team is very strong. At the same time, the Chinese, like us, are working well on mass character. And at the same time they are trying to develop their national teams in all ages.

- How big is the significance of the European Games won by the Russian men's team?

- The status of this tournament is one of the highest - it is a great sporting event. And it was very important for us to show a good result there. From the point of view of FIBA, the prestige of the World Cup is higher. However, it is held three times during the Olympic cycle, and the European Games - only once.

The group of leading teams in this tournament was strong - despite the fact that the World Cup was held in parallel. Because there are a number of countries that have been developing 3x3 basketball for more than one year and are able to recruit two or even more strong teams.

It is enough to look at women's France, which was represented by players who were repeatedly involved in the national team at large tournaments. Plus men's Serbia, Latvia, Slovenia, France, Czech Republic, Poland. Zemun, the winner of the 2017 World Tour, reinforced by repeated world champion Marko Zhdero, played for the Serbs. The owners also became a formidable force, who eventually took bronze.

- Let's talk about the World Cup first. The performance of the men's team - a failure, a coincidence or a logical result? Maybe there are some reasons that influenced this?

- Definitely a bad performance. A year ago, to be honest, before the start of the tournament, there was a feeling that such a failure was possible. Because then there was little time for preparation, and we had to submit the squad at the very beginning of the training camp. And in their process, it became clear that most of the players we counted on were unable to justify the hopes placed on them. At the same time, strict rules for substitutions did not allow us to make the necessary number of adjustments.

After a year and, I will note, a year of fruitful work, we had the right to expect a good performance from our men's team. And set the players to win. There were prerequisites for a good performance. Because the team that went to the World Cup proved in the long run that they can beat the strongest opponents. In addition, it is the best in the country at the moment. This was evidenced by Gagarin's results in the past and current seasons, the team's high rating and the balance of head-to-head matches with direct competitors. All this made it possible to go to Amsterdam with the confidence that the Russian team would fight for victory in every game.

Frankly, we are disappointed. And not only the result, but also the game. There was a discussion in the coaching staff regarding the squad that was supposed to go to the World Cup. There were choices between keeping the four that did well in the spring part of the Pro cycle, and making one or two replacements. This line-up has teamwork, which would have been significantly reduced with substitutions. Plus, we understood that by leaving these four, we would be able to put up a good squad at the European Games in parallel.

At the same time, the decline in the game of individual team players spoke for the substitutions. The decision was not easy, and as a result, the choice was made in favor of teamwork and fielding two combat-ready teams for two tournaments instead of one.

The philosophy of our program is that we give players and coaches enough chances and opportunities to prove themselves. So it was last year, when we gave a number of people the opportunity to prove themselves, and did not cut in the heat of the moment after the first failures.

Subsequently, we found several players who proved their worth to play at a high level. And even somewhere feeling that someone is not pulling, we give him a chance to prove in practice whether our thoughts are wrong or not. There were both positive and negative examples. Because it is in high-level tournaments that the necessary qualities for building a champion team are manifested.

You also need to understand that there is a long-term strategy to be successful at the Olympics. And this season, as in the past, we give ourselves the right to experiment. In the first year, it was important to identify a wide pool of players who could get into the final Olympic application. In this, we want to try different combinations and in combat situations to identify that narrow circle (6-8 people) who will be the main contenders for getting into the squad. And this is sometimes impossible to achieve not only in training, but also in challengers with masters. It is important to check how someone performs in the jersey of the national team. And this is a process that takes time. Somewhere the teams formed immediately - as, for example, in Latvia. Somewhere it took time to find a combat-ready composition. The last striking example is the US team.

At the same time, this does not mean that the national team is a closed club. When people appear who prove their right to a place in the team with deeds, not words, they will be invited to the training camp. This applies to both the level of play and results, as well as dedication to 3x3 basketball. We do not need guest performers who will come to play several tournaments on their own terms. We have already seen that at decisive moments this does not work. But if a person is ready to devote himself to this cause, we will open the doors.

Going back to the result at the World Cup, there are a number of reasons for our poor performance that are on the surface. And we are discussing everything with the coaching staff from the very beginning in order to draw the right conclusions from this tournament. You have to learn from defeat. And some of them will teach you much more than a whole series of victories.

- Does this mean that at the moment Russia does not have a strong men's team?

- Let's finally dispel the myth. The truth is that with all the mass character and good development of street basketball, Russia has never had a truly strong team at the world level. No club, no team. Perhaps the best is the one that played first under the name "Fire Protection", and then "Leningrad". But she won only 3 Challengers in her long history. And they all took place in Russia. This team has never made it to the final of the Masters, let alone won it. What greatness are we talking about? As for the men's teams, in previous years we had only two worthy results - the victory at the first European Games in 2015 and the bronze of the 2014 World Cup. Again, homemade.

Therefore, to say that we have great victorious traditions, which have now suddenly come to naught, is deliberately misleading people who are not versed in the subject. The really great teams win at least a few Challengers and Masters a season. And they regularly get medals in national team competitions.

I want to emphasize that the level is growing every year. And those individual successes came from a game that was more what they call streetball than the 3v3 basketball that is played today. And it happened in a completely different competition. At that time there were no Liman and Riga teams in their current form, there were no strong Americans. Yes, and Novi Sad was just gaining momentum and was not such a dominant force that it is now. And at the very time when the game was being actively transformed, the overall level was growing, the results of Russian teams were rapidly falling. That is why their last victory is dated 2015. Those who were the best in Russia simply missed the moment when most countries switched to the new rules and progressed in this direction. Those who started playing 3x3 basketball won, while ours continued to play streetball.

When we started our program, we actually came to a scorched field, when honored players are not able to win even a separate challenger. However, as well as the new best players in the country, who claimed a place in the national team. In such a situation, we decided to take a step back: to hold a series of camps with the invitation of those who showed acceptable results at that time, and new players. And this began to give certain results: last year - a victory at the Moscow Open and the U23 World Cup, this year - at the European Games. There was also an exit of "Gagarin" in the final of the masters in Prague.

Let's be honest, today we still don't have a really strong team or national team. But we must understand that this process is underway. It is better that we assemble a team bit by bit, which without reservation will take a place among the best, than we will shy away from side to side after individual failures. Against the background, by the way, of the general positive dynamics.

- Nevertheless, this year Gagarin performs worse than last year. What is missing from this team?

- "Gagarin" brightly "shot" last year and he raised the bar of expectations. After that, it was logical to expect big victories from him. But, firstly, when you are not known, it is easier to play. Secondly, the level of rivals is constantly growing. Thirdly, with all due respect to Gagarin, he is not yet in the top five in the world. His highest world ranking was sixth. And it roughly corresponds to the level of the team in the long run - in terms of strength, it is approximately sixth or tenth in the world at the moment.

It's quite difficult to count on regular victories when you haven't reached the level of Novi Sad, Liman or Riga. Although Gagarin beat the last two in some tournaments, they fought on equal terms with Novi Sad. However, individual match wins are not enough to win tournaments. This is the next step the team needs to take next. Let's not forget that the average age of "Gagarin" is only 23 years old. And since its inception, in fact, only a year has passed.

At the same time, I do not agree with the words that the team performs worse than last year simply because it is too early to compare seasons. The current one has not even reached the middle yet, at the start there were several good results - the second and two third places in the challengers. And if not the final place, then the quality of the game at the masters.

- Now the role of Gagarin-2018 is played by Korolev-2019. The young debutant team, which has shown itself well in international tournaments in a month and a half, is confidently performing in the League of Nations and is among the top 20 in the world. In addition, in fact, she won the European Games.

- I don't want to draw analogies. Each of these commands has its own path. "Gagarin" took off with lightning speed: at the first tournament in Riga, he made it to the final, the second in Moscow, and completely won. And in general last season spent in one breath.

"Korolev" progresses a little slower. This team, although being trained in the same system, is not similar to Gagarin. She has her own face, her own characteristics. In some ways it is stronger than Gagarin, in some ways it is weaker. The important thing is that the right microclimate immediately developed in it. And under it, too, had its own planning.

"Korolev" played in a number of Challengers, in the League of Nations, and it is very important that they won such a resounding victory as in the European Games. Although, of course, this is not "Korolev" in its purest form - Stanislav Sharov strengthened the team.

The team was created specifically for the League of Nations. And first of all, in order to have strong competition. Because while "Gagarin" no one could create it. Yes, within the domestic championships, other teams had separate victories over Gagarin, but for at least a month or several tournaments in a row there was no need to talk about competition. It is important for us that it be.

- But our club men's 3x3 basketball is not only Gagarin and Korolev.

- Absolutely. And there is no need to think that the RFB only cares about them and does not look around. We monitor the performance of each team in international tournaments. And we try to help them, we are directly involved in promoting the best to Pro-cycle tournaments. This season, with the assistance of the Federation, Ekaterinburg received tickets for three challengers, Sosnovy Bor for two. For example, "Gagarin" received one such ticket. He participates in the rest of the challengers at the expense of tickets obtained at the Russian Championship, in the European United League 3x3 and FIBA ​​automatic distributions.

Why Ekaterinburg and Sosnovy Bor? This choice is due to the fact that these teams are on the outskirts of the 20th world ranking. But it is difficult for them to get into the challengers through automatic distribution. In order for them to get this opportunity, we actively help them with vouchers. Then everything depends on them. A good performance will help them improve their position in the world rankings.

As for Moskva, until recently it was in the Top 20, and it didn't need help with trips - it received them from FIBA ​​through automatic distribution. Poor results at the start of the season have led this team to drop out of the top 20 for the time being. But to return, she needs quite a bit. I am sure that Moscow can do it at the next challenger in China. She had time to think about her game, rebuild and approach this tournament in good condition. An additional motivation will be the fact that she was again in the same group with Gagarin. And once again he will try to take revenge.

In addition, the tours we have been running will allow three more Russian participants to play the Challenger in Yekaterinburg. These are teams from Novosibirsk, Samara and Nizhny Novgorod.

- Back to the European Games. How big is the victory of the men's team in Minsk?

- The very fact of winning such a prestigious and status tournament is important from all sides. Including to maintain the reputation of one of the leading federations in the development of 3x3 basketball in the world. For guys, this triumph is of great importance. And we are all very happy for these players, because each of them has his own history of getting into the team. And under this victory, much more is hidden than typical camps and preparation.

Let's start with the fact that after being called to the training camp of the national 3x3 team, all the players of the "Queen" were included in the list of candidates for the Russian student team. Some, of course, began to twitch. Think about how and where they can play better. As a result, our strong-willed decision Zherdev, Pisklov and Karpenkov continued their performance in the 3x3 season. Yesterday I talked to them about this topic. Impressed with complete delight from the atmosphere, organization, scale of the European Games and their own victory, they admitted with a smile that the decision was the right one.

As for Sharov, this is a different story. Stas was seriously injured in the game for his university in the spring. And the first two traumatologists unequivocally said that he needed an operation. But we decided to make another attempt. There was a doctor who offered an alternative recovery option - Natalya Chelnokova. And now I want to sincerely thank her for this. I am also grateful to the management of the RFB, which allocated the necessary funds for this treatment. And, of course, a group of specialists who helped Sharov. Zabida Magomedova, Vladan Chubrich, Georgy Artemiev and Artur Sudzhyan are the people who helped him get back on his feet. But the main merit in this is Stas himself. He implicitly followed all the recommendations and worked out the rehabilitation process to the maximum. Therefore, in the case of Sharov, the result of the European Games is also pleasant because all this was not done in vain. This is a victory for all the people who helped him recover.

Separately, I want to say about Dmitry Zimin. Very happy for him. It's nice that two coaches have grown up in our program - winners of major tournaments. And if victory came to Vladimir Aghababyan faster, then Zimin had to experience the bitterness of unpleasant defeats several times. But the triumph in Minsk, in my opinion, covers them all.

- Successful performance in this Nations League is the strength of our teams U 23 or is it the weakness of the opponents?

- Both. On the one hand, this was the calculation. Frankly speaking, the competition in the Asian group is lower than in the European one. It was important not to alternate prizes, but to collect more of the first - to score points for the country. This is also part of the overall strategy. First of all for women.

At the same time, don't belittle your victories. We see that with each round the opponents are pulling themselves up. And it is far from a fact that we will go further without loss. Especially for men who have a very heavy schedule. They have to play for three days and two stages of the League of Nations, and the Challenger.

Of course, there will be a rotation. We will try to unload someone, but in general the load is very large. Plus a flight to China after the challenger in Yekaterinburg. However, our reserve in the overall standings of the League of Nations allows us to count on getting into the final of the tournament. That is why we decided to include a challenger in China in the schedule.

- Why didn't the women's team perform well in Minsk? Indeed, the key was the defeat in the group from Belarus?

- 100 percent. In my personal opinion, the women's team was not lucky. If we had won against Belarus or, having played more productively, bypassed it in the spin, we would have got into the playoffs from the first place. I am sure that the girls had the potential to win silver medals. This team was quite capable of reaching the final and playing France in it. But instead she met with her already in the quarterfinals. The French women stood out, they went through all the rivals with a “skating rink”.

- What do you think about the performance of our women's team at the World Cup, which was also knocked out in the quarterfinals?

- Everything is explained. The main moment that influenced the result is that the days when it was possible to come in the status of a favorite and beat everyone without high-quality joint preparation have passed. Such tournaments need to be approached purposefully. Of course, it's good that Leshkovtseva and Logunova joined the team. According to their status and level, they are champions, and their place in the Russian team. But the team must play together, prepare together, participate in tournaments. Only then you can count on a high result.

Australia, who beat our girls, has a very strong four that recently won the Asian Cup and the Women's League stage in Chengdu. These are not upstarts at all. In addition, it is probably right to go to such a tournament without thinking that you will have to return to the 5x5 team. In theory, we were glad that this line-up took shape. But, perhaps, somewhere they deceived themselves. In any case, this example convinced everyone that you need to concentrate on one lofty goal.

- What are the challenges for our teams for the upcoming second half of 2019of the year?

- First, regarding the Pro cycle. Now there is the first such season for women. And we expect at least three tournaments with our participation to be held. In men, the quality of the game at the World Cup confirmed some of our assumptions. We gave the foursome time to prove their worth. But at the same time, one way or another, regardless of the result, replacements were planned. At the next tournament, Gagarin will perform in a different line-up. It was planned in advance as a screening, but also, of course, connected with the unsuccessful performance in Amsterdam.

At the beginning, there will be a step back in terms of chemistry. It will be difficult for Agababyan to bring together players with different emotions, who will also go to the challenger in China in a different state. Daniil Abramovsky and Dmitry Cheburkin will remain in the team with a baggage of negativity, but the failure at the World Cup should anger and motivate them. Sharov will be added on the positive after Minsk. On the other hand, now he is emasculated both morally and physically. This was essentially his first major tournament since his injury. Plus Dmitry Korshakov, who has not yet played in the Pro cycle this season. Yes, it will be difficult to count on a high result right away. But this is the part of the path that this four must go through.

"Korolev" will continue to play in the League of Nations, will perform at several challengers. Then everything will depend on its results. Plus, both teams will start preparing for the European Cup in August. There we will also make adjustments to the squads, depending on the situation at that time.

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