2015 FIBA 3x3 U18 European Championships in Minsk

The first FIBA 3x3 U18 European Championships took place in Minsk on 21-23 August. It was for the first time that Belarus played host to such a sport event organized under the auspices of the International and European Basketball Federations. Partaking in the competitions were 32 teams from 22 countries.

The Belarusian women’s team of Maria Ivanenko, Anna Lapo, Maria Adashchik and Anastasia Sushchik produced a great performance at Palova Arena, finishing second in the overall team standings. The Belarusian team’s triumphal run was secured by wins in all the games except for the final where they lost to Team Hungary 15-16. Bronze went to Israel that defeated France 16-12.

The men’s team of Maxim Lyutych, Timofei Porolev, Andrei Rogozenko and Anton Zaretsky also played well landing fourth in the overall team standings. The Belarusians held a number of successful encounters in Group D, before losing 9-20 to France in the semifinal and 15-18 to Spain in the bronze medal game. Team Turkey claimed gold beating France 16-14 in the final.

The FIBA-Europe representatives praised the organization of the tournament in Minsk and assured the Belarusian Basketball Federation that Belarus may be given the right to host a bigger basketball tournament in the future.