Rakuten Group, Inc. and the All Japan University Basketball Federation (JUBF) have announced the launch of Sun Chlorella’s World University Basketball Series (WUBS), an annual champions league-style tournament for university basketball teams. The inaugural tournament will host top university teams from Indonesia, Japan, Philippines and Taiwan at Yoyogi National Stadium Second Gymnasium in Tokyo from August 9-11, 2022.
Hosted by JUBF and supported by Rakuten Sports, a Rakuten Group service focused on creating partnerships built on shared values with professional sports teams, athletes, brands and rights-holders around the world, WUBS is envisioned to empower local talent and the basketball community. The tournament gives collegiate players and teams a platform to showcase their skill on an international stage. By bringing together university teams to compete each year for the series title, the two organisations aim to take university basketball to new heights and bring the global basketball community closer together.
The first edition is an invitation-only event featuring four top university teams: Pelita Harapan University (UPH) from Indonesia, Tokai University from Japan, Ateneo de Manila University from Philippines and National Chengchi University (NCCU) from Taiwan. The teams will compete in a series of six round-robin games over three days to claim the series championship. Future plans call for expansion in the number of participating teams and countries each year.