Hosts Uganda will aim at winning the three-day Fiba 3x3 Africa Cup when it hosts the first of three editions starting today at the Lugogo Hockey Ground starting this morning.
The first two continental editions of the shorter version of basketball have however been dominated by West African opposition.
Mali’s women and Nigeria’s men won in 2017 while Ivory Coast joined the former to win the men’s title last year.
"We can't wait to host the FIFA 3x3 Africa Cup. We shall make sure we prepare our teams well enough and also handle the logistical side well to be able to organize a successful event," Fuba president Nasser Sserunjogi said at the launch.
In 2017, the Uganda men’s team Silverbacks finished eighth with the Gazelles finishing an impressive third from the 10 nations that took part in Lome, Togo.
Last year, the Silverbacks had Tony Drileba selected in the team of the tournament after he guided the Ugandan side to the final where they lost 14-6 to Ivory Coast.
In his absence, the Silverbacks will look to better that position on home soil with Betway Power’s Syrus Kiviiri, Ivan Lumanyika Mark Opio and James Okello forming the Silverbacks’ team.
You might also like: The Humble Beginnings of Basketball
The Silverbacks seeded fourth at the 12-team tournament, are placed in Pool D alongside Nigeria and Mauritius.
The Gazelles are meanwhile the top ranked nation in the women’s category and still have Ritah Imanishimwe from the 2017 team. She will be joined by Zainah Lokwameri and Hope Akello and Brenda Ekone.
They will tussle it out with fourth seeds Nigeria and Kenya in Pool B of the six-team women’s category. The three-day tournament will also include a shootout contest.
Fiba 3x3 Africa Cup
Venue: Lugogo Hockey Ground
When: Friday-Sunday
Time: 9.00am-10pm
Fee: shs5000, shs,10,000 (VIP)
Silverbacks team: Syrus Kiviiri, Ivan Lumanyika, James Okello, Tony Drileba, Mark Opio Okidi
Gazelles: Ekone Brenda, Ritah Imanishimwe, Zainah Lokwameri Hope Akello
Bet on basketball with Betway
Betway strives to offer the most competitive odds on every popular basketball match available, across a number of international leagues. We also strive to provide a comprehensive range of betting markets for every sports fan to choose from across all of our fixtures. It’s only by offering the widest variety of games and markets that Betway remains a leader in the online sports betting world.
If you are new to Betway Uganda, click HERE to register an account now and start betting on sports. Grab your 50% first deposit bonus and we’ll credit your account with up to USh200, 000 in Free Bets. To unlock your bonus, simply make a deposit and place bets on either Sports or Jackpots equal to 3 times your deposit amount on odds of 3.0 or higher.
For all the latest sports news, betting tips and promotions follow Betway on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. Download the Betway App.