The Moroccan city hosted the first International 3×3 Basketball Forum on September 19–20, bringing together sporting, training and international cooperation stakeholders from Morocco, Africa and Europe.
IFRANE, Morocco — The city of Ifrane became a meeting point for the international 3×3 basketball community on September 19 and 20, hosting the first edition of the International 3×3 Basketball Forum.
The event brought together Moroccan and international sports stakeholders around a common objective: promoting 3×3 basketball as a platform for youth development, training, engagement and international sports cooperation, while laying the foundations for further initiatives through 2030.
The forum was organized by the Espoir Sportif de Michlifen Basketball Club, in partnership with the Fès-Meknès Basketball League and the Franco-Moroccan association CESAM.
The initiative was launched and coordinated by Ibrahima Keita, General Technical Director of Espoir Sportif de Michlifen Basketball, and Mohammed Marrakchi, President of CESAM.
An international first edition
The first edition featured an international dimension through the participation of FAMOUS, a professional 3×3 basketball team from Togo, as well as Alain Fasal, coordinator, organizer and founder of 3×3 Germany, a project dedicated to the development of 3×3 basketball in Germany and across Europe.
Over two days, the programme combined an international tournament, experience-sharing sessions and training activities, with a particular focus on knowledge transfer and youth development.
One of the highlights was the Training Day, organized in two stages in Ifrane and Fès. The sessions were coordinated and supervised by the FAMOUS team, with the active participation of US Fès, a club with a strong focus on player development and training.
The initiative also created opportunities to connect Moroccan, African and European sporting experiences and to explore new forms of cooperation around the development of 3×3 basketball.
Sport, training and youth at the heart of the project
Beyond the competitive dimension, the forum was designed as a platform linking sport, education, youth and international cooperation.
The organizers aim to use 3×3 basketball not only as a sporting discipline but also as a means of developing skills, encouraging youth participation and creating opportunities for exchanges between athletes, coaches, sports organizations and educational institutions.
The first edition therefore represents the starting point of a broader project intended to develop over the coming years.
Looking towards 2030 and the university sector
Following the success of the inaugural edition, the organizers are already looking towards the development of the forum through 2030.
One of the priorities is to progressively involve the university sector in the initiative. In this context, the management of the Institute of Sports Sciences of Fès has expressed its interest in joining the project.
The objective would be to encourage student participation in training activities and to help develop new skills through the practice and promotion of 3×3 basketball.
Greater involvement from universities could further strengthen the links between sport, education and youth, while giving the project a more sustainable and long-term dimension.
Ifrane, a meeting point for 3×3 basketball
For one weekend, Ifrane became a meeting point for players, coaches, sports organizations and representatives from different sporting backgrounds, bringing together competition, youth development, training and international cooperation.
The first International 3×3 Basketball Forum was conceived as the beginning of a project with ambitions to expand in the coming years, strengthen international partnerships and create new opportunities around the development of 3×3 basketball.
About the International 3×3 Basketball Forum
The first edition of the International 3×3 Basketball Forum took place on September 19–20, 2026, in Ifrane, Morocco.
The event was organized by the Espoir Sportif de Michlifen Basketball Club, in partnership with the Fès-Meknès Basketball League and the Franco-Moroccan association CESAM.
