United Multicultural Stories: Battle of Nations

One of the most special things about The Multicultural Game at Melbourne United is the game’s ability to act as a unifying force for people across our great city to come together for.

That has also been the focus for Chol Dut, who is the creator of Battle of Nations, a 3-on-3 basketball tournament that has brought together cultures from across Melbourne to compete under one roof.

Having held their first event in January 2025 with 12 teams, Dut explained his reasons behind putting together that unique tournament. 

“It’s all about putting different cultures under one roof for a really fun event,” he said.

“Growing up I always played against people from all different backgrounds, and we thought it would be cool to give people the opportunity to represent their culture and their nation in a competitive environment.

“It provides a platform for people to really feel like they’re a part of their culture.”

After receiving a groundswell of support, Dut and his team decided to go bigger and better for the second iteration of Battle of Nations, bringing in new teams, while creating a festival-like environment featuring DJs and performances from different cultures across the globe.

Dut touched on what it has been like to see the event be embraced by the community, while also forecasting what the future could look like.

“After the first event in January, word of mouth got out really quickly and we got so many messages about more countries wanting to get involved and compete,” he explained.

“It’s been amazing, we’ve gotten so many messages from people around the world who saw the event or watched the livestream and were rooting for their country.

“We want to be able to put as many cultures out there, so it’s actually going to be a challenge moving forward to see how we scale up. We’re up to 22 teams having expressed interest in competing in the next Battle of Nations, and we’re only expecting more to come in.

“One of the aims of Battle of Nations was to give people the opportunity to learn about other cultures, learn about the other teams they were playing against.

“In the future we’re hoping to make it even more of a festival, showcase different cultures through dances, food and experiences. It’s using basketball as a vehicle to spotlight the amazing diversity in Melbourne.”

With Battle of Nations 3 scheduled for March 2026, the basketball-loving public are already excited to see what is next for the event.

Melbourne United is set to celebrate events like Battle of Nations this Sunday during The Multicultural Game.

Featuring a free Multicultural Festival from 12pm outside the arena, the entire day will be an awesome showcase of Melbourne’s diversity.

Tickets to the game are available here.