Edmonton EXPO Centre is now home of the Canada 3x3 Training Centre

The Edmonton EXPO Centre is now home of the Canada 3x3 Training Centre.

Canada Basketball’s 3x3 national team will practice on custom 3x3 courts that have been installed within the Expo Centre and utilize the facility for further training and preparation.

Team Canada comprises players with local roots and deep connections to the Alberta basketball community, including Edmonton products Jordan Baker and Steve Sir, along with Jordan Jensen-Whyte and Kyle Landry of Calgary.

Canada has earned a sport in the FIBA 3x3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT), which is scheduled to take place May 26-30, 2021, in Graz, Austria, in May 26-30 2021, from which top 3 teams at the OQT advance to the Tokyo Summer Games. Canada currently sits eighth in the FIBA 3x3 federation men’s rankings.

"The Edmonton EXPO Centre has the advantage of having tremendous and adaptable capacity that makes housing the Canada 3x3 Training Centre possible.” says Paul Sir, Managing Director, 3x3 Basketball Development for Canada Basketball. “The EXPO Centre is a tremendous partner and continues to establish itself as a premier sports centre."

Under the leadership of Sir in his role as executive director of the Alberta Basketball Association (ABA), Edmonton has been at the forefront of 3x3 in Canada and around the world. ABA has annually staged the country’s longest-running FIBA-sanctioned 3x3 tournament, and successfully hosted national championships and international events including the FIBA 3x3 Edmonton Challenger and Women's Series at West Edmonton Mall.

A 522,000 square-foot multi-purpose facility, the Edmonton EXPO Centre is home to the Edmonton Stingers, who recently won the Canadian Elite Basketball League 2020 Summer Series championship.

“The Edmonton EXPO Centre is honoured to host the Canadian men’s 3x3 basketball national training facility,” said Arlindo Gomes, Vice President, Venue Management, Edmonton Economic Development (EEDC). “Welcoming the men’s 3x3 team illustrates our dedication to serving as a hub for professional and amateur sports and position us to continue attracting even more major sporting events to Edmonton.”