Canada Basketball – TORONTO, Ont. (May 6, 2019) – Canada Basketball announced a new partnership on Monday with Red Bull becoming the Energy and Event Partner of Canada Basketball 3×3. This partnership, which will see increased support for men’s and women’s 3×3 activities in Canada, will also incorporate the national 3×3 Red Bull Reign series into the Canada Quest system.    

“We are excited to join forces with Red Bull to help develop 3×3 basketball in Canada,” said Glen Grunwald, President & CEO, Canada Basketball. “Through this partnership, the 3×3 Canada Quest and Red Bull Reign will provide more opportunities than ever before for Canadians to participate in 3×3 events from coast to coast.”  

Now entering its fifth season, the 3×3 Canada Quest is an eight stop, multi-tournament qualification tour which ends in a Quest Final, with the best teams qualifying for a chance to play at a predetermined World Tour Masters.  In addition to the elite category, the 3×3 Canada Quest also offers recreational and youth age group divisions for men and women of all skill levels in a fun and friendly environment.

New for 2019:

• The 3×3 Canada Quest will culminate in two regional Quest Finals giving Canadian teams more chances to qualify for the FIBA 3×3 World Tour.  
• The two winning teams from select Red Bull Reign events will now get the opportunity to qualify for the 3×3 Canada Quest Finals and the chance at securing a berth in one of Canada’s FIBA 3×3 World Tour Masters events.  
• Montreal will become the third Canadian city to host a FIBA 3×3 professional event, though the first one in Québec. A FIBA 3×3 World Tour Masters stop has been held in Saskatoon since 2017.

Red Bull Reign is a unique global basketball tournament, challenging the top 3-on-3 athletes to put their skills to the test for a chance to be crowned world champions. The dynamic competition pits hoop hopefuls from 16 nations against one and other in a high-endurance, offense-driven battle, culminating in the Red Bull Reign World Finals, happening in Toronto later this year. Registration for qualifiers in Vancouver, Winnipeg, Ottawa and Toronto are open as of today. 

The FIBA 3×3 World Tour is the pinnacle event of an ‘open’ network of FIBA-endorsed 3×3 tournament and this year features two stops on Canadian soil with events in Saskatoon (July 20-21) and Montreal (September 7-8).

Edmonton hosted a 3×3 Challenger for the first time last year and the event returns again to the West Edmonton Mall in 2019.  Challengers are stand-alone events from which the best teams qualify to a predetermined World Tour Masters.

Canada will also be home to three satellite events during the 2019 season.  These standalone events qualify teams directly to predetermined challenger competitions.  Earlier this season, Team Edmonton won Alberta Basketball’s 3×3 Edmonton Satellite event to qualify for the FIBA 3×3 World Tour Challenger in Wuxi, China. Calgary and Ottawa are both scheduled to host Satellite events later this year.

Hosting more FIBA 3×3 events on home soil is an important step for Canada as the country looks to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.  Countries can qualify via the FIBA 3×3 Federation Ranking (4 spots per gender) or via an Olympic Qualifying Tournament (3 spots per gender). Currently, Canada is ranked 19th in the men’s rankings and 92nd in the women’s rankings.

The 3×3 discipline is being promoted and structured by FIBA, the sport’s governing body.  Canada Basketball, in working with FIBA, will regulate the rules of the game, facilitate the promotion of the discipline and sanction the organization of 3×3 tournaments with the support of the Provincial Sporting Organizations.

With over 250 million players worldwide, 3×3 basketball is amongst the most played recreational sports in the world.  From the first official event at the 2010 Youth Olympics Games to the Olympic inclusion starting from the Tokyo 2020 Games, 3×3 is considered the number one urban team sport.

About Canada Basketball

Canada Basketball is the National Sporting Organization for the sport of Basketball in Canada. Canada Basketball is respected worldwide and is recognized by the International Amateur Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the Government of Canada as the sole governing body of the sport of amateur basketball in Canada. Canada Basketball, a not-for-profit organization, represents all basketball interests, provides leadership, coordination and direction in all areas of the sport of basketball.

About Red Bull

Red Bull Energy Drink is available in over 170 countries worldwide and more than 6.3 billion cans of Red Bull were consumed last year.  A 250 ml of Red Bull Energy Drink contains 80 mg of caffeine, equivalent to a homebrewed cup of coffee.  For more information, visit energydrink-ca.redbull.com/en