As host nation, Azerbaijan will be represented in both the men's and women's 3x3 basketball competitions at Baku 2015 ©Baku 2015

Azerbaijan will play the world number one ranked team The Netherlands in the group stage of the women’s 3x3 basketball competition at the Baku 2015 European Games.

The host nation’s women will also face Switzerland and Greece in Group A, while their male counterparts will be competing against Andorra, Czech Republic and Switzerland in Group D.

Reigning female European champions Russia have been drawn against Romania, Israel and Lithuania in Group D, with Czech Republic, Belgium, Turkey and Ukraine making up Group B, and Spain, Slovenia, Ireland and Slovakia contesting Group C.

Group A in the men’s event pits Romania against Slovenia, who they beat in the European Championships final last year, as well as Lithuania and Israel.

Russia, Spain, Turkey and Belgium all feature in Group B, while Estonia, Serbia, Italy and Greece  meet in Group C.

The 3x3 basketball tournaments will take place from June 23 to 26 at the temporary Basketball Arena, which has the capacity to host 2,000 spectators.

Following the round-robin group phase, all teams will progress to the direct elimination phase, where they will be seeded based on their final placing in the group stage.

The temporary Basketball Arena will host the men's and women's 3x3 basketball competitions
The temporary Basketball Arena will host the men's and women's 3x3 basketball competitions ©Baku 2015

“As one of the new and innovative sports included in the Baku 2015 programme, there will be a huge amount of interest in 3x3 basketball,” said Pierce O'Callaghan, Baku 2015 director of sport.

“Competition to be crowned the first ever European Games champions is sure to be intense.

"Everything is now in place to stage great Games, and we are delighted to have the best teams competing here in Baku this summer."

The results of the draw were announced by the International Federation of Basketball, whose secretary general Patrick Baumann has previously claimed that 3x3 is the “future of the sport”.

The game is played on a half-court between two teams and is estimated to be enjoyed by more than 250 million players worldwide.


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