Ever since it was added to the program during the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, basketball has been one of the most popular parts of the sporting competition. And according to a report, it looks like there will be even more basketball being played at the next Summer Olympics, which will be held in Tokyo in 2020.
How is that, exactly? No, they aren't expanding the field of teams or making the tournament longer. Rather, it is "all but certain" that 3-on-3 basketball will be part of the program for 2020. Via the Washington Post:
Olympics organizers are eager to get the ball rolling, or rather bouncing, as they look toward the 2020 program in Tokyo. According to the Associated Press, the International Olympic Committee is all but certain it will add 3-on-3 basketball to its ever-changing list of events.
"It would certainly be a perfect fit," Patrick Baumann, the secretary general of world basketball's governing body, told the news service Friday.
There hasn't been a final decision just yet, but one is expected soon.
The IOC is expected to make its final decisions about the 2020 program next Friday, almost a month ahead of its original schedule.
It would be interesting to see which players would be selected for this, if it's the first few players cut from the 5-on-5 teams, or just a completely different pool of players altogether. Either way, this would be pretty sick. Having more basketball to watch is never a bad thing.