Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on a second. 3-on-3 basketball might become an Olympic sport? (Edmonton Sun)

The overwhelming success of three-on-three basketball at the inaugural Youth Games is a strong enough argument for both versions of the discipline to be included at future Olympics, according to the sport’s organisers.Buoyed by strong attendances and a positive response at the Youth Olympics in Singapore, International Federation Basketball (FIBA) secretary general Patrick Baumann is already seeking ways to take the smaller form of the sport to a bigger stage.

“Yes, absolutely,” Baumann told Reuters when asked if there would be a time when two basketball events would be staged at a full Olympics.

“It would never replace the basic basketball, it is different. It is a tournament on its own. It is not a side tournament or an auxiliary event… it is a whole discipline on its own.”

Look, I’ve played a whole lot of 3-on-3 basketball in my day. I’ve played at the park, at the gym, in Hoop It Up tournaments, everything. I love 3-on-3 ball… it’s very useful when there aren’t enough players to run 5-on-5 full court. But you can’t put 3-on-3 basketball into the Olympics. You just can’t. If you do, it opens up the door for flag football and slow-pitch softball, and then BAM before you know it they’re even considering curling an Olympic sport. Wait…