SportAccord director general Vincent Gaillard said in an interview yesterday that his organisation had made "a commitment to work out a concept" for the first World Urban Games and identified 3x3 basketball, alongside skateboarding and cycling trials, as potential sports for the event programme, which is expected to be finalised in the coming months.

But, speaking to insidethegames, a FIBA spokesman claimed to have no knowledge of the new concept.

"That's the first I've heard of it myself," he said.

The Urban Games project is the latest in a growing number of multisport events being organised by SportAccord, with the Combat Games and World Mind Games now established tournaments, and plans for the Beach Games and Artistic Games being finalised.


However, this approach has previously come under fire from officials within the umbrella body for all Olympic and non-Olympic international sports federations claiming that it this could dilute the organisation's service orientated activities.

"SportAccord is not a games organisation," SportAccord's director of social responsibility and integrity units Ingrid Beutler exclusively told insidethegames earlier this year.

"It is not a games organiser, there is no intention and there should be no intention of becoming a games organiser which would be in direct competition to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

"We are more of a service oriented organisation providing tools and services to our members particularly in the areas of doping free sport, integrity and social responsibility.

"They are our core pillars of activity, nothing to do with the organisation of multisport games."

A host city and event delivery partner are yet to be announced for the 2015 World Urban Games.

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