The ‘NHK Bank FIBA 3×3 Hongcheon Mugunghwa Challenger 2024’ with a total prize pool of USD 50,000 is about to begin.
The Korea 3-on-3 Basketball Federation (KXO) will host the ‘NHK Bank FIBA 3×3 Hongcheon Mugunghwa Challenger 2024’ at the Hongcheon National Sports Center in Hongcheon-gun, Gangwon-do, from the 12th to the 13th.
The tournament will be organized and hosted by Hongcheon County, Hongcheon County Sports Association, Hongcheon Basketball Association, and KXO, and sponsored by NH Bank, Sportsoto Korea, Korea Welding Rod, POSCO International, Hansoo Water, Hite Jinro, Red Bull, AAB, and 안전놀이터 Wilson.
The Hongcheon Mugunghwa Challenger, which will feature the world’s leading 3×3 teams from the United States, Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, and more, is the second 3×3 international tournament to be held in Korea this year. KXO will once again contribute to the internationalization of 3×3 in Korea by hosting the Challenger after hosting it in May.
A total of 16 teams from around the world are participating in the tournament. Hanwool E&C, led by Bang Sung-yoon, will be the only Korean team participating, and will be joined by Olympic-experienced players from other countries, including USA Men’s 3×3 National Team member Dominique Jones (Tokyo 2020) and Tokyo 2020 Men’s 3×3 gold medalist Edgar Klumins (Latvia).
World No. 2 Vienna (Austria) will be the top-seeded team in the tournament and will be joined by New Zealand men’s 3×3 national team member Tai Windyard, who reached the quarterfinals of the 3×3 Asia Cup for the second consecutive year in 2023, for Shanghai. Shanghai will also be joined by Luo Shudong, a former Chinese national 5-on-5 player who plays for the Shanghai Sharks in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).
The FIBA 3×3 Challenger is the second highest level of international 3×3 competition, with a total prize pool of $50,000. The tournament will feature a $50,000 prize pool with $20,000 for the winner and $12,000 for the runner-up, and the winning team will also receive a ticket to the FIBA 3×3 Shenzhen World Tour 2024 on November 16 in China.
Featuring world-class competition, the NH Bank FIBA 3×3 Hongcheon Mugunghwa Challenger 2024 will kick off with a preliminary round match between Taipei (Chinese Taipei) and Siliguri (India) at 9:30 a.m. on November 12, with the main event being broadcast on SBS SPORTS.