Richmond’s popular 4v4 basketball tournament — the Dolphin Basketball Classic — is going back to its roots this year, with much anticipation from the community.
The 36th tournament, which is once again being held at South Arm Park from July 21 to 23, is expecting a turnout of around 20 elite men’s and women’s teams with at least 10 more teams on the waitlist.
“This year we’ve had the most interest in a long time,” said Tony Wong-Hen, who co-founded the tournament with Bira Bindra, Taj Johal and Bruce Watson.
Wong-Hen thinks the enthusiasm stems from a desire to get together as a community after the COVID-19 pandemic. Being held outdoors also sets the event apart from most other tournaments.
The Dolphin Classic community extends far beyond the athletes, as the tournament has received support from the City of Richmond, South Arm Community Centre, Richmond School District, and most importantly, Richmondites.
“Everything that we do there is all volunteer,” said Wong-Hen, adding event volunteers range from 10 to 70 years old.
“People always come in and want to help and make the event more community-based. So that’s very important.”
Keeping with the theme of community, Wong-Hen told the Richmond News the organizers are keeping the tournament Richmond-oriented this year by hiring graduates from local high schools.
“We’re trying to bring it back to the grassroots tournament style,” he explained.
The schedule for this year's tournament is available here.
