LA Olympics to feature 12 teams per gender in 3x3 basketball

Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass (L) waves the Olympic flag next to US skateboarder Tate Carew (R) after their plane landed during an event celebrating the arrival of the Olympic flag at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in Los Angeles, on August 12, 2024. Etienne Laurent, AFP/File

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has increased the quota of participants in 3x3 basketball for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

From eight teams per gender in its first two editions, there will now be 12 men's teams and 12 women's teams in Los Angeles.

"We thank the IOC for its decision, which provides great encouragement for FIBA and its members to continue promoting our urban discipline," FIBA president Sheikh Saud Ali Al Thani said in a statement.

"Having four additional teams for the men’s and women’s tournaments is a testament to the global interest and excitement Olympic Basketball have delivered at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024," he added.

3x3 basketball made its Olympic debut in the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Games in 2021, with Latvia winning the men's gold medal and the United States ruling the women's division.

In the Paris 2024 Games, Germany emerged triumphant in the women's division while the Netherlands broke the hearts of the home nation to win gold in the men's division.

FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis called the IOC decision a "milestone" and welcomed the opportunity for more federations to compete in 3x3 basketball.

"Los Angeles is one of the world’s most iconic basketball cities and has a thriving 3x3 basketball culture. We are very excited to be once again at the heart of a vibrant, urban sport festival atmosphere during the Games," he said.

FIBA will announce the detailed competition format and qualification system for the 3x3 basketball tournaments of the LA 2028 Olympics "at a later stage," the organization said.

The increase in quotas for 3x3 basketball in LA 2028 is among the decisions made by the IOC Executive Board on Wednesday in Lausanne, Switzerland.

They announced a total of 351 medal events, 22 more than at Paris 2024, as well as a core athlete quota of 10,500. The Los Angeles program also touted gender equality, as all team sports will have at least the same number of women's teams as men's teams. 

Football will feature more women's teams, with 16, as the men's tournament has been downsized to 12 teams.