The city of Batam has officially made history by hosting two prestigious international basketball championships, namely the FIBA 3x3 Women’s Series and the Men's FIBA 3x3 Challenger. This world-class tournament, taking place at Engku Putri Square from July 23 to 26, 2026, is being utilized by the Central Board of the Indonesian Basketball Association (PP PERBASI) as an important foundation to qualify the national team for the Olympics while strengthening regional branding.

Secretary General of PP PERBASI, Nirmala Dewi, highly appreciated the readiness of the arena infrastructure prepared by the local committee. Despite a relatively short preparation period—less than three months since the official appointment—the match facilities were deemed to meet strict FIBA standards, on par with international arenas in developed countries.

Nirmala explained that the choice of Batam as the host location was highly reasonable, especially in terms of accessibility for foreign delegates. The geographical proximity to Singapore facilitates transportation routes for overseas athletes, who can travel by air to transit airports in Singapore and then continue by ferry for less than an hour.

For the national federation, this tournament serves as a vital instrument in collecting FIBA world ranking points to smooth the path toward the Olympics. In addition to gathering points, the fierce competition against tough global teams like Mongolia and Thailand is also being used as a crucial testing ground ahead of Indonesia's participation in the ASEAN Games this coming September.

Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC), Suhadi, expressed his optimism for the smooth running of this tournament and invited the people of the Riau Islands to attend and show their support. He emphasized that spectator enthusiasm is not only a moral boost for local basketball players but also clear evidence of Batam's readiness as a host city for world-class international sporting events.

On the other hand, this event is expected to shift Batam's image, which has long been attached solely to being an industrial area, towards becoming a potential sport tourism destination. To accommodate spectators who did not secure grandstand tickets due to FIBA's capacity restrictions, the committee has also provided a special bazaar area equipped with live streaming screens outside the main arena.