EEC and PPC cooperation for 3×3

The 3?3 leaps forward and the EEC in collaboration with PPC teamed up to give even more impetus to a part of basketball that has already made a huge journey from the streets to the Olympics and is constantly growing. The presentation of the collaboration took place today at the offices of the EEC in the presence of the president of the EEC, Vangelis Lioliou, the director of corporate relations and communication of PPC, Sofia Dimtsa and the chairman of the committee for the development of 3?3, Kostis Zompanakis. All three focused on the uniqueness of 3?3 and its ability to bring people closer together, to lead them to exercise and get to know their neighbor.

The President of the EEC, Vangelis Lioliosstated: “It’s really a special joy, it’s a special day. We have come to present a collaboration on how in the coming years the EEC with a large organization, PPC, will put into practice what we envisioned last year. 3?3 is something that touched us and touches us all. The entire Greek society, everyone. The schools, the students we will have actions anyway, it touches all ages. Those of us who feel young and can exercise bring us back to the memories of the past. We’ve all played 3?3 at some point. And we’ll play again. FIBA promotes and supports it, not only at the level of competition, but also at the level of social actions. It is a separate activity from 5?5, it is more direct. Because that’s what makes it special. You can play at any time, age, class. To bring us together, to unite society. He has an extroversion, a joy and not only the result counts, but also the communication. With your cooperation and support with your active participation for the next three years we will go high on 3?3, it will bring people out of the house, bring them to the squares and schools. In the summer we will see them play 3?3 and hang out afterwards. It will unite us as a society. The primary goal of sport is to unite societies and ages. Pan-European has this extraordinary dynamic. I am really glad that you understood our vision and believed in us and together, with common actions we will “spread” it to the whole society.

I would also like to say that Kostis Zompanakis, he was the visionary of 3?3. Today is his day and we support him. We rejoice in this vision, because today it will become a reality. And I think that this trio that we are here today represents what we will give in the next three years to all the lengths and breadths of the Greek territory».

Sofia Dimtsa, director of corporate relations and communication of PPC, said: “I want to say that indeed Mr. Zompanakis was the person who put us in touch with 3?3. We didn’t think much of it. We immediately embraced it. We care a lot. PPC is a company that is celebrating 73 years of life. It was, is and will be in the entirety of Greek society, since it is connected to it. It could not be missing from a national effort of this sport, which evokes nice memories. It is the neighborhood basketball, the meeting of friends and classmates, father and son or daughter in a basketball. They are familiar images, a way of showing what we have always done. We support a new generation, its energy, its talent and we give it the opportunity to highlight the talents, to highlight ways of acting and communicating different from the ones we are used to. To get out of the houses, from closed rooms, from the computers and do something more sustainable, to highlight talents. Contact remains, a nice way of exercising and communicating, especially in cities. We believe that it is an action that will show a great response throughout Greece. That’s why we go all over Greece, to all the schools, to all the neighborhoods. We are here to support the work of EEC and the new generation».

Kostis Zompanakis, president of the EEC 3?3 development committee: “For my part, I would like to thank Vangelis (Liolios) for inviting me to participate in this EEC effort to develop 3?3 basketball. It appeared suddenly… I knew it as street basketball, FIBA ​​called it 3?3. It’s something we’ve been talking about. I would like to thank PPC for the support and cooperation and above all because it understood how big is what we are trying to do. You got in on the… ground floor, now let’s take it all up a notch. I would also like to thank Haris (Spiliakos) and Tota (Golfinopoulou) who are the soul of this effort. We all feel the responsibility and burden to execute this program. In our opinion, it may be… marathoning with all these events, but just the image of the port of Chania, just before the summer, everyone playing basketball, everyone watching basketball, from the German tourist to the shepherd, was a magical image and something I really like. This effort will bring many people closer to basketball. It will help to socialize basketball and from this point of view it is something unique that this sport has. Either for good or for bad, I am who I am and as a Greek abroad I met other Greeks abroad through street basketball. This is how I met my Greece. And when my wife told me to have the kids play tennis, I said they won’t play tennis, they’ll play basketball, because that’s how they’ll meet other kids. Of course, the daughter preferred football, but what can you do… And I will also say something that you might not like. We in Greece have a skills issue. We are a little overcoached. You won’t learn the cross over, the floater, the hesitation in the team, but in street basketball. Perhaps we will manage to bring out some talent in terms of individual skills through this effort. I hope that happens too».

*As announced, PPC and EEC initiatives include programs for children, events in regional cities and competitions with a prize of participation in an international tournament.

Specifically:

3?3 Schools powered by PPC

The program is aimed at the student community of primary and secondary education. 3?3 Schools powered by PPC, which is ongoing, takes place in 20 different municipalities of the country. The students come out of their schools and all play together 3-3 in the stadiums of their city, learning experientially in the sport and at the same time in the benefits of sports. Already 900 children, aged between 11 and 15 from the schools of Megalopolis, Karditsa, Giannitsa and Kastoria responded to PPC’s call and participated with great enthusiasm. Next cities that will host 3?3 Schools powered by PPC in May, Ptolemaida, Lamia, Alexandroupoli, Aliveri, Elefsina and Kozani.

3?3 PPC Street Basketball

These are five different 3?3 events in Samos, Megalopolis, Ptolemaida, Rhodes and Arta. PPC through EEC invites all basketball fans, regardless of age, as well as those who want to try their hand at this modern, fast and dynamic sport, to take part in a multidimensional sporting event. The 3X3 PPC Street Basketball series has already entered FIBA’s Lite Quest category, qualifying the winning team to a FIBA ​​3?3 Challenger.

3?3 Master Events

PPC supports the 3?3 Master Events series of the Hellenic Basketball Federation, in Chania, Thessaloniki, Kavala, Attiki, Volos and Kalamata, from May to August, where participation will be open, while the winner will also win this year participation in a station of the World Tour.

Basketball 3?3: from the streets to the Olympics

3?3 basketball is the most widespread team “street sport” in the world and is played with two opposing teams of three players, in one basketball, in half the court. The winner is the team that leads when a quarter of a game is completed, or whichever team reaches 21 points first.

Globally, 3?3 basketball was played in courts and gyms all over the world. Since the 1990s, 3?3 basketball tournaments and the standardization of its rules have started, mainly from the USA. In 2010 he appeared for the first time in international competition at the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore. Today FIBA ​​organizes an annual 3?3 World Tour, World and Continental Cups. It became an Olympic sport at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where the men’s gold medal was won by Latvia and the women’s by the USA.

Greece has National Teams 3.3 for Men and Women (Open), U23, U21 and U17. 3?3 is constantly rising as can be seen from the response of athletes, clubs, the wider sports public, as well as the rise of the country and our national teams in the FIBA ​​ranking. This is also certified by the recent qualification of the U23 Women’s National Team to the 3?3 World Cup.