3×3 basketball, a street edge-of-the-seat entertainment, scores an iconic sport moment in the Romanian Parliament. This year, the FIBA 3×3 World Finals took place under the impressive chandeliers of the the world’s largest, heaviest and most expensive civilian building with administrative function, fusing sport, culture and heritage under one hoop.
FIBA 3×3 World Finals reunited in Bucharest 24 national teams, competing during three days in three different final tournaments, the FIBA 3×3 U23 Nations League, both men and women, and the FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series.
Everything took place under the iconic glass roof of the Unirii Hall, in the Palace of Parliament and more than 5000 people during the three days of competitions could witness some of the best 3×3 basketball action.
Poland, in the men’s competition and France in the women’s competition took the crown at the U23 category, while Germany was the winner of the FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series 2021.
This was the first ever sport competition held inside the People’s Palace by its popular name, the world’s largest civilian building with administrative function (1,100 rooms and 365,000 square meters), the world’s heaviest building (plus 9 million pounds / 4 million tons) and the world’s most expensive administrative building (valued in 2020 at 4 billion Euros / 4.6 billion USD ).
This was suppose to be the residence of the former Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, who was executed in 1989, during the anti-communist revolution and never really had the chance to enjoy its creature. In 1990, Australian-born business and media magnate Rupert Murdoch tried to buy the building for USD 1 billion, but his bid was rejected by the Romanian state.
The event organized by the private 3×3 Romanian promoter Sport Arena Streetball and the Romanian Basketball Federation took sport events at a whole new level of excitement, combining the exquisite venue with neoclassical and totalitarian architecture with the 3×3 basketball, which is considered the world’s number one urban team sport.
FIBA 3×3 World Finals was an event organized by the Romanian Basketball and Sport Arena Streetball Federation under the high patronage of the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee, which included the finals of the FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series, funded by the City Hall of Sector 3 and FIBA 3×3 U23 Nations League, funded by the Ministry of Youth and Sports. The event was supported by: Superbet, Mastercard, Tissot, Banca Transilvania, Toyota Bucharest South, Complet Medical, Wilson, Azuga, Red Bull, Alexandrion Foundation. The official radio of the competition: Kiss FM.
