FIBA Africa 3x3 Elite Youth Camp 2025 in Dakar Unites Africa’s Brightest Young Basketball Talents

FIBA Africa 3x3 Elite Youth Camp 2025 in Dakar Unites Africa’s Brightest Young Basketball Talents

Location: Dakar, Senegal

Date: October 31 – November 2 2025

The 2025 FIBA Africa 3x3 Elite Youth Camp, organised by FIBA and Olympic Solidarity, was recently held in Dakar, Senegal, from October 31 to November 2.

As the rapidly growing hoops format continues to attract increasing global attention each month and gains more recognition across Africa, the main goal of the 2025 FIBA Africa 3x3 Elite Youth Camp was to enhance the high-performance pathway and broaden development opportunities for athletes (both men and women), coaches, and referees from African nations in 3X3 basketball.

The three-day camp provided young hoopers with enhanced training environments and competitive experiences, contributing to the long-term growth of 3x3 across the continent.

Four countries took part in this year's camp: Senegal (the host nation, whose federation played a key role in the logistical and organisational success of the camp and will also host the 2026 Youth Olympic Games), Egypt, Kenya, and Algeria.

Although Madagascar's senior men's and women's teams are currently Africa's 3x3 champions, their men's and women's youth teams, ranked 69th and 77th respectively, were not among the nations present at the camp.

The three invited countries, Egypt, Kenya, and Algeria, which are among the top-ranked African nations in the youth categories (both men's and women's) according to the FIBA ranking, have all expressed their intention to participate in the 2026 Youth Olympic Games.

In total, 42 participants (21 men and 21 women) attended the camp:

• Each country was represented by four male and four female U16 players, supervised by one male and one female coach.
• As the host nation, Senegal had two male and two female coaches, as well as 15 observer coaches who joined the sessions.

The camp's training and development programmes were:

• Players and Coaches Training, led by Karim Souchu, Head Coach of the French Men's 3x3 National Team, silver medalist at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and finalist of the 2024 World Tour Final with Team Paris.
• Table Officials Training, conducted by Corinne Taeye, an experienced expert in game operations and officiating.
• Referees Training, led by Najib Chajiddine, FIBA Instructor.
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Each of the NTO and referee sessions brought together around 40 participants. The first two days focused on both theoretical and practical court sessions, including video analysis, skill development, and technical workshops tailored to the 3x3 game.

On the final day, participants visited the African Renaissance Monument, allowing the young athletes to connect with a powerful symbol of African heritage and pride. The camp then wrapped up with a friendly tournament among the four participating nations, which was won by the Egyptian teams in both the boys' and girls' categories. During the camp, referees and table officials also had the opportunity to put their learnings into practice under the guidance of experts.
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Several high-profile personalities attended the closing ceremony, showcasing strong institutional support for this initiative:

• Mathieu Faye, President of FIBA Africa Zone 2
• Amadou Fall Gallo, President of the Basketball Africa League (BAL)
• The Secretary General of the Senegalese National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSS)
• Mr Babacar Ndiaye, President of the Senegalese Basketball Federation
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The FIBA Africa 3x3 Elite Youth Camp 2025 was a remarkable experience of training, exchange, and development for young African athletes, coaches, and officials. It perfectly illustrated the joint commitment of FIBA and Olympic Solidarity to nurturing the next generation of basketball talent across the continent.

[Photography Courtesy of FIBA/FIBA Africa]