Before the echoes of the Hongcheon Challenger fade, KXO heads to China.
KXO (Korea 3x3 Basketball Federation) will participate in the "Yunnan 3x3 International Basketball Club Tour STOP 1" in Kunming, China, on the 17th and 18th. Twelve teams from nine Asian countries, including Korea, China, Australia, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Mongolia, the Philippines, and Hong Kong, will compete in this tournament.
On the 11th, after successfully concluding the "NH Nonghyup Bank FIBA 3x3 Hongcheon Challenger 2025 and 2025 KXO 3x3 Hongcheon Light Quest," KXO departs for China without any rest. There is a hidden story behind KXO's busy trip to China.
On the 26th of last month, due to a sudden request from the Chinese side, KXO sent players to Kunming by forming a team with Han Jeong-cheol, Gong Ha-jeong, Lee Yeong-seok, and Park Yu-cheong. At that time, a Korean team had threatened the event's success by unilaterally announcing their withdrawal two days before it commenced. The organizing company, Yunnan Co., which had a good relationship with KXO, requested their cooperation, and KXO assembled a team just a day before the tournament to prevent its disruption.
KXO and Yunnan Co., which have maintained a relationship since last year, decided to advance their planned exchange project by more than two months following the incident last month. Yunnan Co. invited the Hongcheon delegation and KXO officials to this tournament, providing opportunities for both participation and discussions.
KXO's Executive Director Song Tae-hoon said, "Just four days ago the Hongcheon Challenger ended, and now we are participating in another overseas tournament. It's a busy schedule, but we believe that ongoing exchanges with overseas 3x3 organizations and teams are necessary for Korean 3x3 to continue challenging on the international stage, so we are heading to China once again this time."
He continued, "We have been in regular communication with the Kunming side where Yunnan Co. is located since last year. In fact, a Kunming team was supposed to participate in the "NH Nonghyup Bank 2025 KXO 3x3 Hongcheon Light Quest" that ended on the 11th, but they were unable to attend due to visa issues right before their departure. There was a lot of regret, but we received another invitation to Kunming this time and plan to hold constructive discussions for future projects there."
Hongcheon, placed in Group B for this tournament, will face the home team Kunming and Japan (SS). Not only Australia and Singapore, but also famous 3x3 teams from Sagamihara (Japan), Manila (Philippines), and Changzhou MDMX (China) will participate, making it expected to be a highly competitive event.
Hongcheon will have its first match against Japan (SS) at 8 p.m. (Korean time) on the 17th and will face the home team Kunming in the last qualifying round at 10:30 p.m.
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