Junior Hercules, the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) National 3×3 Coordinator, has confirmed that U23 Men’s team has been invited to participate in the Junior Pan American Championship, scheduled for Cali, Colombia from September 12-14.
This was disclosed during a brief interview with Stabroek Sport yesterday. According to Hercules, the notification of the event and Guyana’s possible participation based on qualification, was announced following an official statement from regional governing entity, FIBA Americas.
According to the correspondence, “We would like to kindly remind you that the qualification cut-off date for the I Jr Pan-American Games (U23 men’s and women’s category) is May 31, 2021. Likewise, we also want to remind you that the top ranked 11 National Teams per gender in the U23 category of the FIBA 3×3 ranking in the Americas, in addition to the host country Colombia, will qualify to the competition. That said, there will be a total of 12 teams per gender. It is worth clarifying that it is not required for the National Federation to be eligible for FIBA 3×3 official competitions to participate in this tournament, as it is a multisport event of Panam Sports and is following the FIBA Internal Regulations of Book 6 – 3×3.”
The release which was signed by Carol Callan, President of FIBA Americas Regional Office and Carlos Alves, Executive Director of FIBA Americas Regional, further stated, “Once again, we would like to send you the manual (attached) of the I Jr Pan American Games, to be held in Cali, Colombia, in which the 3×3 event date will be September 12-14, 2021. In the document you can find this information and further details, which was previously shared with the National Federations and the National Olympic Committees.”
Hercules opined that the tournament is of critical importance to emerging athletes, noting, “This event is a very big event not just for basketball but all Olympic sports. To be represented at the Junior Pan American games is a junior athlete’s dream.”
He further stated that any opportunity for Guyana to participate on the international circuit provides invaluable exposure and experience to the national program, “Any opportunity for a Guyanese athlete to be represented on this stage can only serve to add value to the national program,” he added.
