Austria’s women’s squad for the 3×3 World Cup is set

For days, curious onlookers have been amazed at the huge open-air stadium that is currently being built on Vienna’s Rathausplatz. The good news for all passers-by: In less than a week, from Tuesday, May 30th, the area will be open to everyone. With free admission, the best 3×3 basketball players in the world can be watched right in front of the town hall. You can dribble and throw on three other courts, while your physical well-being will be taken care of in the spacious gastro zone.

The spectacle will not be missed by Vice Chancellor and Minister of Sport Werner Kogler (Greens), who was given a tour of the stadium today, Thursday. Kogler could hardly hide his anticipation: “The stadium is impressive and the sport is spectacular. I really enjoyed it in Graz, when I see this I can feel it. With 3,000 fans even more so!” The Vice Chancellor was already there in 2021 at the 2021 Olympic qualification tournament in Graz to support the Austrian national teams. Also this year he plans to watch a match live.

He emphasized that from the point of view of the ministry, 3×3 would be very happy to be funded again and again. In addition, the cooperation with the City of Vienna in the field of sports funding and events is something special. “Thank you for that,” Kogler said to Vienna City Councilor Peter Hanke (SPÖ), who was also present. Hanke, who is not far from the town hall, also announced his coming: “There will be great basketball to watch. I’m happy, I’ll come and be inspired. The scenery is great – for spectators and sponsors too. Compliments to the organizers, it’s not very easy to set up an event like this.”

Thousands of overnight stays

The city council also emphasized that events of this kind would not normally take place at Rathausplatz. Otherwise one would celebrate culture and pleasure topics here. “This time, however, the focus is on sport. It is good practice that we have such events in Vienna. We assume that the World Cup will bring thousands of overnight stays for Vienna tourism. We need precisely such events that will take us into the future to lead.”

Together with the City of Vienna, Basketball Austria invites 1,000 children to the World Cup every day. Another highlight for Hanke: “You have to start in good time to arouse emotion and enthusiasm, that’s possible with events like this.”

Basketball Austria General Secretary Johannes Wiesmann speaks from Hanke’s heart. Apart from surviving the group phase, from the point of view of the association, the main goal is to get as many people as possible, especially young people, enthusiastic about basketball. In addition to the spectacular games of the world stars, this should be achieved with the supporting program, among other things. The student championship in 3×3 (Kabernossi School Jam) will be held on the “side courts”. The wheelchair basketball players and the Austrian college league ACSL will also have performances.

An important supporter is the main event sponsor win2day. “We were the main sponsor at the European Championships in Graz and thought about how we could top that. We want to support women, men and parasport at the same time, which is why we will organize our own 3×3 wheelchair tournament for the first time. We have in the para division created something great. And those are also our expectations of the whole event,” said Georg Wawer, Managing Director of win2day, confident about the World Cup on Thursday.

Squad Announcement Part I

Finally, it was about the sport itself again. “3×3 is of course the focus in the coming weeks. We have the best 3×3 players in the world and of course we want to get as far as possible with men and women,” says Wiesmann target before.

If the group stage is survived, anything is possible. Especially with the fans behind you. The women can cheer on the quartet Anja Fuchs-Robetin, Camilla Neumann, Sarah Sagerer and Sigi Koizar. This is now official. Fuchs-Robetin and Neumann are the most experienced 3×3 players in Austria. Sagerer and Koizar are currently among the best legionnaires in the country. Just how dangerous this squad is was impressively demonstrated just last week when fellow World Cup favorites China were beaten at an official FIBA ​​tournament.

Next Monday, May 29th, one day before the start of the tournament, the men’s squad will be announced at 12.30 p.m. Also during a press conference. That’s when the absolute superstars of the 3×3 scene come to the town hall square for the first time to throw one or the other basket and answer questions from the media. In addition to the Austrian national teams, ex-NBA star Jimmer Fredette (USA) and the female number one in the 3×3 world, Laëtitia Guapo (France), will also be there.