BASKETBALL – Bahrain’s under-23 women’s 3×3 basketball national team took an impressive second place yesterday in the fifth and penultimate stop of the Asia West/Pacific conference in the Fiba 3×3 Youth Nations League 2026, currently being played in Singapore.

The Bahrainis, playing with the quartet of Bayan Salman, Polina Sviatskaya, JaMya Robinson, and Noor Najaf, won both their games in Pool A of the preliminary round against Qatar and Saudi Arabia, but then bowed yet again to continental powerhouses Australia in their final.

The nationals were runners-up for the third time in the five stops held so far, and they came away with 80 points for their conference standing, rising back to second place behind only the undefeated Australians after dropping to third the day prior.

Following an exciting full week’s programme in Singapore, action concludes today with the sixth and final stop in this Asia West/Pacific conference of this year’s Fiba 3×3 Youth Nations League.

Teams have been vying for points in each of the events in their bids to qualify for the Fiba 3×3 U23 World Cup, which is to be held in Hubei, China, from September 15 to 19.

Australia’s women and men are in the driver’s seat to book their berths in the worlds.

Also yesterday, Bahrain’s under-23 men’s 3×3 basketball national team split their two Pool A contests, coming up just short in their quest to secure a place in their final.

Hitting the half-court were Naser Alanzoor, Mohammed Alanzi, Mishal Buhamood, and Hamad Faisal.

They opened the stop with a win against Qatar but then lost to Saudi in their follow-up assignment.

They thus came away with 60 points for their conference rankings, where they remained fifth overall from the six participating nations heading into today’s finale.

Bahrain’s women were dominant in their opening contest yesterday against their counterparts from Qatar, who they routed 22-4 in a masterful display.

Sviatskaya spearheaded the nationals with nine points, while Salman added six, Najaf had four, and Robinson finished with three.

In their next outing, the Bahrainis were just as aggressive, beating Saudi 21-7 to complete their group schedule undefeated.

Salman had a team-high eight points, while Najaf contributed six, Sviatskaya four, and Robinson three.

Their winning run was halted, however, in a brave effort in the women’s final.

There, they lost 14-21 to Australia, who had also beaten them the other two times they advanced to the decider.

Salman scored nine points to pace Bahrain in the defeat, while Robinson chipped in with three and Sviatskaya two.

On the distaff, Bahrain’s men got their day underway on a high note yesterday, edging past Qatar 21-19 with a game-winner from Alanzi.

He put in an impressive 11-point effort for the nationals, while Alanzoor and Faisal added four apiece and Buhamood scored two points.

But the Bahrainis then lost their next game 17-22 to Saudi in another closely fought affair.

Alanzoor finished with seven points, Faisal had six, and both Alanzi and Buhamood finished with two.

Saudi won the men’s event after beating Singapore 16-10.

It was the only time all conference that Australia did not make it into a stop’s final game, having lost to the host Singaporeans 17-21 in a Pool B clash yesterday.

patrick@gdnmedia.bh

BASKETBALL – BAHRAIN’S under-23 3×3 basketball women’s national team impressed for a second straight day yesterday in the Asia West/Pacific conference of the Fiba 3×3 Youth Nations League 2026, currently being played in Singapore.

The kingdom’s squad, featuring the quartet of Bayan Salman, Ninel Merkotun, Polina Sviatskaya, and JaMya Robinson, were runners-up in the series’ second stop, claiming the same position from the opening day of action on Thursday.

The Bahrainis were dominant in their two preliminary round contests yesterday against Qatar and Saudi Arabia, but then ran into continental powerhouses Australia in the final for the second successive day. The nationals came away with another 80 points for their conference standings.

Action in Singapore continues today with stop three of six. Following a rest day tomorrow, play will resume on Monday and will be held until the completion of the series on Wednesday.

Teams earn points in each of the six stops as they continue their qualification bids for the Fiba 3×3 U23 World Cup, which is to be held in Hubei, China, from September 15 to 19.

Also competing yesterday in Singapore were Bahrain’s under-23 3×3 basketball men’s national team, who finished fourth for the second consecutive stop.

The Bahrainis split their two fixtures in the preliminaries, beating Qatar but then losing to Saudi, as they came just short of advancing to their final.

Their squad that took to the half-court yesterday included Elyas Younes, Naser Alanzoor, Mishal Buhamood, Hamad Faisal. They collected 60 points for their conference standings.

In yesterday’s women’s tournament, Bahrain got their Pool A campaign off with a resounding 21-4 rout of Qatar. Merkotun led the team with nine points, while Sviatskaya added six, Salman had four, and Robinson finished with two points.

The Bahrainis were then just as outstanding in their next game, where they defeated Saudi with a similar 21-4 score. Salman was their top gun this time, firing in nine points. Sviatskaya chipped in with six, Robinson had four, and Merkotun scored two.

Bahrain’s women then faced off with Australia in the final, where they lost 6-21. Robinson and Sviatskaya had three points apiece in the defeat.

On the distaff, the men’s team got their Pool A schedule underway with a fine 14-8 triumph against Qatar. Alanzoor, Buhamood, and Faisal scored four points apiece, while Younes had two.

The nationals then came agonisingly close to another victory – which would have earned them a berth in the final – but fell to a narrow 16-19 loss to Saudi. Younes had a game-high nine markers, while Faisal contributed four points and Alanzoor had three.

Saudi went on to face Australia in the men’s final, with the Aussies taking the win 20-10.

In today’s third stop in the Asia West/Pacific conference of the Fiba 3×3 Youth Nations League 2026, Bahrain’s women will play in Pool B of the preliminary round with Australia and Qatar, while the men will be in Pool A of their event with Australia and Singapore.

patrick@gdnmedia.bh

TORONTO (Aug. 21, 2026) – Canada Basketball announced Thursday the four athletes who will represent Canada at the FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series stop in Bangkok, Thailand, from Aug. 22-23, with three-time Olympian Michelle Plouffe returning to competition for the first time since the 2024 FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series Final.

Plouffe will be joined by Cassandra Brown, Paige Crozon, Katherine Plouffe as Canada continues its push toward the FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series Final in Shanghai, China.
Canada enters the final stretch of the regular season sitting 10th in the Women’s Series standings, with the top seven teams, plus the host, advancing to the season-ending Final on Sept. 5-6.

With Canada looking to climb into a qualification position, Plouffe’s return provides the program with one of the most accomplished players in the history of the discipline.

“As we looked at where we are in the Women’s Series standings and what we need to make a push toward Shanghai, Michelle was an option that made a lot of sense for us,” said Steve Baur, Vice-President and General Manager, Women’s High Performance. “She has remained incredibly close to the game and to this group through her role with our program, and over time there have been conversations about what it might look like for her to play again.

“Bangkok gives us an opportunity to add an exceptional player to our group at an important point in the season, while giving Michelle an opportunity to compete again and see how it feels.”

Plouffe announced her retirement from international competition in July 2025 before transitioning into her role as Canada Basketball’s 3×3 Performance Manager.

The Edmonton native was one of the foundational members of Canada’s women’s 3×3 program, helping establish the team as one of the sport’s most consistent international contenders. Alongside Katherine Plouffe and Paige Crozon, she helped build the program from its early days in 2019 before Canada eventually qualified for its first Olympic Games in the discipline.

Plouffe returned from ACL reconstruction in 2024 to help Canada secure its historic Olympic berth at the final FIBA 3×3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Debrecen, Hungary. Canada went on to finish fourth at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Paris marked Plouffe’s third Olympic appearance. She previously represented Canada in five-on-five basketball at the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Her 3×3 résumé also includes back-to-back FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series championships in 2022 and 2023, a silver medal at the 2022 FIBA 3×3 World Cup and gold at the 2022 FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup.

The Bangkok stop is one of the final opportunities for teams to earn points toward qualification for the FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series Final in Shanghai.

Schedule – Saturday, Aug. 22

Canada vs. Madagascar – 4:50 a.m. ET / 1:50 a.m. PT
Canada vs. Australia – 6:40 a.m. ET / 3:40 a.m. PT
‍
The knockout round will take place Sunday, Aug. 23. All games will be streamed live on CBC Gem and FIBA 3×3’s official YouTube channel.
‍

Canada Roster

Cassandra Brown — Vernon, B.C.
Paige Crozon — Humboldt, Sask.
Michelle Plouffe — Edmonton, Alta.
Katherine Plouffe — Edmonton, Alta.

‍Head Coach: Daniel Ferguson

BASKETBALL – Bahrain’s under-23 3×3 basketball women’s national team secured an impressive runner-up finish yesterday in stop one of the Asia West/Pacific conference in the Fiba 3×3 Youth Nations League 2026, currently being played in Singapore.

The Bahrainis, featuring the quartet of Bayan Salman, Ninel Merkotun, Polina Sviatskaia, and JaMya Robinson, topped their preliminary round group after winning both their games against hosts Singapore and Saudi Arabia, but they then lost in the women’s final against Australia.

Their squad, coached by veteran Bahraini tactician Murtadha Mohammed, came away with 80 points following their classification in second place.

Yesterday’s action marked the first of six stops in the Asia West/Pacific conference of this year’s Fiba 3×3 Youth Nations League.

The second will take place today until the completion of the series on Wednesday next week.

Teams earn points in each of the stops as they continue their qualification bids for the Fiba 3×3 U23 World Cup, which is to be held in Hubei, China, from September 15 to 19.

Also competing yesterday in Singapore were Bahrain’s under-23 3×3 basketball men’s national team, who finished their competition in fourth place.

Coached by Fiba 3×3 World Tour standout Bogdan Dragovic, the Bahrainis split their two fixtures in the preliminaries which were also against Singapore and Saudi.

Their one victory wasn’t enough, however, to book their berth in the men’s final.

Their squad features Ismaeel Alansari, Elyas Younes, Mishal Buhamood, and Mohammed Alanzi.

They came away with 60 points on their conference standings.

Bahrain’s delegation in Singapore is headed by Bahrain Basketball Association official Ahmed Elyas.

Both the women’s and men’s squads feature two other players for a total of six apiece, with Noor Najaf and Amina Hani also looking to lace up their sneakers for the women and Nasser Alanzoor and Hamad Faisal hoping to play for the men.

In yesterday’s opening stop, Bahrain’s women got their Pool A campaign underway with a 13-9 victory over Singapore.

Robinson scored five points to pace the nationals while Salman added four, Sviatskaya had three, and Merkotun chipped in with one.

The kingdom’s squad then followed that up with a 19-5 rout of Saudi. Robinson and Sviatskaya finished with seven points apiece in Bahrain’s victory, while Salman had four and Merkotun one point.

In the women’s final, however, Australia were too good and they held the Bahrainis to just eight points en route to securing the 21-point target.

Salman scored four for the nationals while Sviatskaya added three and Merkotun one.

Meanwhile, the men’s team lost their opening Pool A game to the home side Singaporeans 6-21, with Alanzi finishing as their leading scorer with just three points.

They roared back with a 14-11 triumph against Saudi as Alansari, Younes, and Buhamood had four points apiece, while Alanzi chipped in with two markers.

Australia went on to win the men’s final 22-18 against Singapore.

In today’s second stop, both Bahrain’s women’s and men’s teams are in Pool A of their respective competitions along with Saudi and Qatar.

They will each once again hope to top their division to qualify for today’s final.

patrick@gdnmedia.bh

Published August 21, 2026 1:19pm

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The Gilas Pilipinas U23 men’s and women’s teams ruled Stop 3 of the FIBA 3×3 Youth Nations League – Asia SEA, held in Malaysia on August 19.

The Philippine men’s team, composed of collegiate standouts Andrew Bongo, Doys Dungo, Rhyle Melencio, and Luis Pablo, swept all three of its games, defeating Vietnam, 21-9, Chinese Taipei, 21-13, and New Zealand, 21-19, in the final to claim the title.

The women’s team also swept the stop, beating Thailand, 21-9, New Zealand, 17-16, and Chinese Taipei, 17-14, in the final.

The women’s team is composed of Amyah Espanol, Kennan Ka, Jamanah Meniano, and Maria Victoria Pasilang.

In the first stop, the Philippine women’s team also ruled the tournament, while the men’s team placed third.

In Stop 2, the men’s team finished second.

The Philippines will return to action on Friday for the fourth stop, with two more stops happening this weekend.

—JKC, GMA News

China’s Yang Hengyu (L) vies with France’s Marie Mane during the Pool D match between China and France at the FIBA 3X3 Women’s Series CS Rapid Stop 2026 at Parklake mall in Bucharest, Romania, Aug. 8, 2026. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua)

China’s Li Yuyan (R) vies with Belgium’s Sarah Dossou during the Pool D match between China and Belgium at the FIBA 3X3 Women’s Series CS Rapid Stop 2026 at Parklake mall in Bucharest, Romania, Aug. 8, 2026. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua)

China’s Li Yuyan (R) vies with France’s Marie Milapie during the Pool D match between China and France at the FIBA 3X3 Women’s Series CS Rapid Stop 2026 at Parklake mall in Bucharest, Romania, Aug. 8, 2026. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua)

Beijing’s Zhang Zhiting (L) vies with Latvia’s Digna Strautmane during the Pool A match between Latvia and team Beijing of China at the FIBA 3X3 Women’s Series CS Rapid Stop 2026 at Parklake mall in Bucharest, Romania, Aug. 8, 2026. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua)

China’s Ding Yike (R) vies with France’s Marie Mane during the Pool D match between China and France at the FIBA 3X3 Women’s Series CS Rapid Stop 2026 at Parklake mall in Bucharest, Romania, Aug. 8, 2026. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua)

China’s Yang Hengyu (C) prepares to shoot during the Pool D match between China and Belgium at the FIBA 3X3 Women’s Series CS Rapid Stop 2026 at Parklake mall in Bucharest, Romania, Aug. 8, 2026. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua)

China’s Li Yuyan (R) vies with France’s Marie Milapie during the Pool D match between China and France at the FIBA 3X3 Women’s Series CS Rapid Stop 2026 at Parklake mall in Bucharest, Romania, Aug. 8, 2026. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua)

China’s Ding Yike (R) vies with Belgium’s Sarah Dossou during the Pool D match between China and Belgium at the FIBA 3X3 Women’s Series CS Rapid Stop 2026 at Parklake mall in Bucharest, Romania, Aug. 8, 2026. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua)

People watch the Pool D match between China and Belgium at the FIBA 3X3 Women’s Series CS Rapid Stop 2026 at Parklake mall in Bucharest, Romania, Aug. 8, 2026. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua)

MONASTIR, Tunisia – Uganda’s Under-21 women’s 3×3 basketball team made a perfect start to the FIBA 3×3 Youth Nations League after winning Stop 1 of the competition in Monastir, Tunisia, with an unbeaten run.

The Ugandan side defeated hosts Tunisia, edged regional rivals Kenya and thrashed Algeria in the final to lift the first stop title in impressive fashion.

Uganda opened its campaign with a commanding 16-9 victory over Tunisia, before grinding out a hard-fought 8-7 win against Kenya to secure top spot in their pool.

The team then capped off a flawless day with a dominant 17-7 victory over Algeria in the final to be crowned Stop 1 champions.

According to reports from the tournament, Uganda combined disciplined defending with efficient scoring throughout the competition.

Against Tunisia, Bushira Namyanja and Zoe Atek led the scoring while Sarah Namale anchored the defence. The Kenyan contest proved a tighter affair, with Uganda holding off a late comeback to advance to the final.

In the championship game, Uganda overwhelmed Algeria from the outset, opening an early lead before pulling away with an unanswered scoring run. Namyanja finished as the leading scorer with seven points, while Namale added six as Uganda convincingly sealed the title.

The victory gives Uganda an early advantage in the multi-stop tournament, which brings together emerging basketball talent from across Africa as part of FIBA’s development pathway for young 3×3 players.

Uganda’s women’s team will now turn its attention to Stop 2, where it is scheduled to face Egypt and Benin as it seeks to maintain its unbeaten run and strengthen its position in the standings.