China's women's 3x3 basketball team ready for Olympic campaign

TOKYO, July 22 (Xinhua) -- China's women's 3x3 basketball players finished their first training session on the competition court in Aomi Urban Sports Park on Thursday to gear up for the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games.

"We prepared in advance before our departure, including the training and daily schedules. Arrangements of arrival procedures and accommodation are fairly reasonable, which helps us adapt to the new environment quickly," said Xu Jiamin, head coach of the team.

Speaking of the rivals, Xu singled out the United States, France and Japan as the most strong teams.

"Other teams are mostly on a par with us and we must play every match seriously," she said.

China claimed the FIBA 3x3 Women's Basketball World Cup title in 2019. Zhang Zhiting is the only member of that title-winning squad set to feature in Tokyo, and accompanied by Wang Lili, Yang Shuyu and Wan Jiyuan.

Xu said that new strategies and tactics have been designed for the new roster. Due to the COVID-19, the newly-formed team has no chance of playing big international games.

"There are still some uncertainties in our team, so we must gear up to overcome difficulties and play with our own style," she added.

3x3 basketball will make its Olympic debut at the Tokyo Games. The eight 3x3 women's teams are China, the U.S., the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), Japan, Romania, Italy, Mongolia and France.

Played on a half-court with one hoop, 3x3 is considered the world's No. 1 urban team sport, with non-stop music bringing an authentic urban atmosphere.