Asia's growing fascination with three-on-three basketball has given FIBA "fresh hope that it can get the sport into" the '20 Tokyo Games, according to Julian Linden of the AFP. FIBA's previous attempts to win Olympic status for the abbreviated format have failed, but the governing body is "more optimistic than ever before" because of the IOC's "stated desire to include more sports that appeal to younger generations." The sport has already been "featured at the Asian Beach Games, Asian Indoor Games and Asian Youth Games and will be on show at the next Asian Games" in '18. It was also "included at last year's inaugural European Games in Azerbaijan and, significantly, was played at the first two Youth Olympics, which were both held in Asia." A decision on the final program for the Tokyo Games is expected in June '17 with three-on-three hoops "among the list of candidates." FIBA Three-on-Three Development Associate Nicolas Widmer said, "It won't replace five-on-five, it would be an addition. It's a new discipline so it doesn't mean adding a new sport, it's a new discipline from the sport of basketball and that's how we are bidding." Widmer added that it was "too early to speculate on whether NBA players would play three-on-three at the Olympics if it was included" (AFP, 10/4).
