Building Canadian women's 3x3 basketball team into Olympic contenders a labour of love

Getting to the Paris Olympics has been a humbling experience for Katherine and Michelle Plouffe.

The twin sisters not only put sweat into the journey, but their own money and countless hours as they built Canada's three-on-three basketball program from the ground up.

Now they're part of the first Canadian team to play three-on-three on the Olympic stage.

"I think it needed to start somewhere. It's been very humbling to see how people have bought in," Michelle Plouffe said.

"It was definitely a hands-on experience, wearing many different hats with the behind-the-scenes stuff."

Hailing from Edmonton, the 31-year-old Plouffe sisters are both veterans of Canada's women's basketball team, and were on the squad that finished seventh at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Michelle also played at the London Games in 2012.

The duo decided to make the jump to three-on-three basketball back in 2019 before the sport made its Olympic debut in Tokyo. Michelle had friends playing on the men's world tour and thought the smaller game would suit her playing style.

"It just looked like a lot of fun," she said. "It looked really freeing. You could be creative, make things happen on your own."

WATCH l How does 3x3 basketball work at the Olympics?:

Three-on-three is played on half court, with both teams shooting on the same net. Shots from outside the arc are worth two points, while buckets made from inside count for one. The winner is the team that has the most points at the end of 10 minutes, or whoever gets to 21 points first.

A DJ plays music throughout the game.

"The slogan is from the streets to the Olympics and that's how it feels," said Team Canada's Paige Crozon. "It feels like I'm playing on the streets with my best friends. But now it's