Malaysia’s 3x3 Teams Eye Medals At Aichi-Nagoya Asiad

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 25 (Bernama) -- The national men’s and women’s 3x3 basketball teams have set their sights on medals at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, which will be held from Sept 19-Oct 4.

Men’s team head coach Ee Kee Lip said confidence was high after encouraging performances from his young squad, including at the recent Nations League in Petaling Jaya.

He said the team will be made up almost entirely of Under-23 players, with only skipper Chong Zhen Yang retained from the squad that competed at the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

“Our target this time is the bronze medal. At the last Asian Games, we went out in the first round after three defeats, but this year we are aiming for bronze,” he said during a visit by deputy chef de mission to the 2026 Asian Games at Wisma OCM here today.

Kee Lip identified hosts Japan, China and Mongolia as among the main contenders but believes Malaysia can put up a strong challenge based on their recent form, including victories over Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines at the Nations League, while their only defeat came against New Zealand.

He said the squad’s strength lies in the versatility of the players, who are capable of driving to the basket to create shooting opportunities, as well as possessing the physical attributes needed for the fast-paced 3x3 format.

As part of their final preparations, the men’s squad are scheduled to compete in the Singapore Quest and Penang Quest before heading to the prestigious Asiad.

Meanwhile, women’s team head coach Goran Vojkic did not rule out a medal challenge after his charges underwent about three to four months of preparation for the continental Games.

However, the Serbian, who took charge of the team in June, said that Malaysia face a difficult task after being drawn with Mongolia, the Philippines and Macau in the group stage, making qualification for the quarter-finals their immediate priority.

“Gold is always the target because every game we play, we want to win but it is a very tough competition and our primary goal is to get out of the group and reach the quarter-finals, then we will see what happens.

“Why not a medal? I don’t see why we cannot win one of the medals. In the best-case scenario, gold but any medal would be a good result,” he said.

Vojkic said the players’ familiarity with one another from playing together in both 3x3 and five-on-five basketball is one of Malaysia’s main advantages but stressed that they must play with speed and discipline to compensate for their lack of height.

-- BERNAMA