Federations Roundup: 3-on-3 Basketball for Olympics; Hockey President Apologizes for NHL Blast

Three-on-three Basketball in Olympics?

Three-on-three basketball might join the Olympics says FIBA Secretary-General and IOC member Patrick Baumann.

This summer three-on-three is an event the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore. Baumann said the game could join the main Olympics for the 2020/2024 cycle in addition the traditional five-on-five game.

"Three-on-three will develop," he said. "The Youth Olympic Games is the first step. Then we will have probably have a World Cup and Masters series starting in two years. Then you create a generation of professional players."

Tickets Sell Out for Basketball World Championships

Organizers of the 2010 FIBA World Championships in Turkey do not have a problem of filling seats with less than 100-days until tipoff.

Public tickets for the championships have sold out and only a small amount of tickets will go on sale before the event.

"We are delighted that all available tickets have already sold out, a sign that the world's second biggest sport is as popular as ever," Baumann said. "Basketball has a clean, positive and exciting image and is followed by over 450 million people around the world. Its future is as bright as ever and the World Championship will be a clear symbol of the sport's growing success."

The world championships will take place in the cities of Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir and Kayseri from Aug. 28 to Sept. 12. The championships include 80 games with 350,000 fans expected to attend.

Fasel Apologizes for Article Blunder

International Ice Hockey Federation Rene Fasel apologizes for an article on the IIHF website criticizing players for not participating in the world championship.

On Wednesday an article by IIHF communications director Szymon Szemberg titled "Saying no to your country" called out several players including Canadian Sidney Crosby for not participating in the world championship this year. Fasel made a public apology for the article on Friday.

"The tone and the timing were ill chosen. We understand that many players and club administrators or owners took exception to this column," he said.

The article received backlash from Crosby, Canadian hockey officials and other federations. The IIHF has removed the article from the IIHF website. The issue could be a topic at the World Hockey Summit in Toronto in August.

"What erupted here on Thursdaywas a virtual earthquake and many people voiced very strong reactions upon having read the column," Fasel said. "This is the reason we made the decision to take the column down from our website."

Szemberg’s article revives a debate on whether to have the world championships during an Olympic year. The 2010 World Championships Germany started just two and a half months after Vancouver 2010 Games and the NHL playoffs are currently taking place in North America. Some players chose to recover from grind of the season and Olympics rather than participate in the championships.

The championships are one of the biggest revenue sources for the IIHF. The federation makes about $20 million from the event, according to a report on ESPN.com.

The championships conclude thisweekend in Cologne with the semifinals on Saturday and the medal games on Sunday. The semifinals begin with Sweden facing the Czech Republic followed by Russia against Germany. Neither of the semifinal teams medaled in Vancouver in February.

Fasel hopes the final games can permanently erase "Saying no to your county" from the history of the federation.

"Let’s now move on without being distracted by an isolated emotional outburst on our website," Fasel said. "We still have in front of us what should be four excellent games and let us all shift the spotlight on the teams and players from Czech Republic, Germany, Sweden and Russia."

AIBA Establishes Rio de Janeiro Training Center

The International Boxing Association is forming a training center in Rio de Janeiro ahead of the 2016 games.

The training center is based in Maria Lenk Aquatic Park. The center will provide boys and girls 12-years or older with boxing training and studies in English, Spanish and computer science.

"Some of these athletes may eventually become Olympic medalists in 2016," AIBA President C.K. Wu said. "But what I find most important in the project is its social aspect. These young people have the opportunity to build a new life through sport."

AIBA will provide equipment, coaches and instructors to the training center under an agreement with the Brazilian Olympic Committee and the Brazilian Confederation of Boxing. The equipment for the center is expected within 90 days.

Written by Sam Steinberg.