The first open international tournament in the newly introduced 3x3 basketball discipline took place on 11-12 January 2025 in the Chinese province of Heilongjiang, in the city of Suifenhe. The Belarusian men's amateur team took 5th place.
A total of 14 teams from Belarus, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia, and Russia participated in the 3x3 ice basketball competition.
Our country was represented at international competitions in China by the amateur team "Serebryanka" in the following composition: Dzianis Vrubleuski, Aliaksei Mamontau, Illia Palanevich, Oleh Pankratau, Dzmitry Danilik (playing coach).
The teams were divided into 2 groups of 7 teams. At the preliminary stage, the Belarusian squad claimed victories over teams from Kazakhstan, China and Russia (Vladivostok) and was defeated by future champions from Russia (Khabarovsk), as well as two Chinese teams, one of which eventually won the bronze medal.
The Belarusian team placed third in their group, preventing them from advancing to the playoffs. Based on the overall standings, they finished the tournament in 5th place.
"We would like to express our gratitude to the tournament organizers and the Belarusian Basketball Federation for the opportunity to test our skills in this new discipline, and on an international stage no less. It was quite an interesting experience," shared Dzmitry Danilik, the playing coach of the Belarusian team.
It is worth noting that ice basketball is an extreme sport: the competition was held outdoors with temperatures dropping to -20 degrees Celsius. Athletes competing on the slippery surface were provided with special footwear.
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