On September 15 in Irkutsk, the Duma Cup streetball tournament will take place. Applications will be accepted at the game sites, and the competition starts at 11.00. There will be four age groups, knockout play, awards for prize winners, and special prizes for the best players in each category. Organizers note the growing popularity of streetball in the city and expect the tournament to become annual.

Today at a press conference about the tournament, Deputy Chairman of the Irkutsk Duma Alexander Khankhalaev, Deputy Sergei Yudin, Head of the Department of Physical Culture and Sports Natalya Ivanova, and chief referee of the competition Maksim Neverov spoke.
Applications will be accepted on September 15, 2012, from 9:30 to 10:30 at the venues where the games will be held. The competition will begin at 11:00. Teams that take prize places in their age categories will be awarded certificates and cups. Winners in the “Best Player” category will also be selected in each age group.
The Duma Cup competitions will be held under the Olympic system in four age groups:
- born in 1998 and younger – sports ground at 197-199 Rozy Lyuksemburg St.;
- born in 1995-97 – 5 Stanislavskogo St.;
- born in 1993-94 – University District, 113;
- born in 1992 and older – 63a Karla Libknekhta St.
The team consists of four people (3 on the court + 1 substitute), and for each girl playing, the team is awarded 1 point at the start of the game.
Head of the Department of Physical Culture and Sports of the Irkutsk city administration Natalya Ivanova and chief referee of the competition Maksim Neverov noted the growing popularity of streetball in Irkutsk - a relatively young but much-loved sport by many.
Popularizing and developing basketball, improving the athletic skill of participants – these are the goals set by the city authorities.
“At the September session of the Duma, a decision was made to allocate funding for the maintenance of the Irkut basketball club, and this year multifunctional sports courts have appeared in different parts of the city – all this should contribute to the development and popularization of this sport in Irkutsk,” noted Deputy Chairman of the Irkutsk Duma Alexander Khankhalaev.
As Deputy Sergei Yudin added, another 10 modern courts, already larger in size – 30*60 – will be installed next year. The deputies expressed hope that the Duma Cup streetball competitions will become annual and that interest in this sport will not fade and it has a great future ahead of it.
Based on materials from the press service of the Irkutsk City Duma