Women’s Olympic basketball - last spot goes to Brazil
June 16, 2008
At the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women Brazil had gone so close to claiming a berth at the Beijing Olympics when they lost an overtime match against Belarus.
The Brazilian team has overcome that heartbreak to go on and take the final spot in the Olympic basketball tournament. This came after a thrilling 72-67 victory against Cuba on Sunday.
The Brazilian team is currently ranked no. 4 in the world compared with Cuba at no. 8. This was no easy feat to win this game.
The Paulo Bassul coached team did it the tough way after losing their quarter-final match to Belarus. They then had to overcome Angola and then Cuba to grap their spot.
After the match Bassul said, “It’s a great moment, and the girls deserve this. I think it’s a wonderful group and basketball for me is a group.”
The win did not come without drama. Bassul had kicked the most famous Brazilian player, Iziane, out of the team after she had refused to take the court in overtime against Belarus. The Brazilians were able to overcome the loss of their star and stay focussed on the ultimate prize of a ticket to Beijing.
In the playoff match Cuba were on top with four minutes to play and held a five point lead at 61-56. The just could not shake off Brazil. With just 32 seconds left in the match Karla sank two free throws to give Brazil a two point advantage, 67-65.
From here Brazil held on to run out winners.
The full lineup for the Beijing Olympic women’s basketball tournament is now set. The following 12 teams will be making their way to Beijing for the August games:
Australia - the gold medalist from the 2006 World Championship
Belarus - Olympic qualifying tournament Madrid 2008
Brazil - Olympic qualifying tournament Madrid 2008
China - host nation
Czech Republic - Olympic qualifying tournament Madrid 2008
Korea - the gold medalist from the 22nd FIBA Asia Championship
Latvia - Olympic qualifying tournament Madrid 2008
Mali - the gold medalist from the 20th African Championship
New Zealand - the gold medalist from the FIBA Oceania Championship
Russia - the gold medalist from the 31st FIBA Europe Championship
Spain - Olympic qualifying tournament Madrid 2008
USA - the gold medalist from the 2007 FIBA Americas Champion
The basketball event of the 29th Olympic Games will be held at the brand new 18.000-seat Wukesong Indoor Stadium in Beijing from August 9-24, 2008.
The twelve teams have been grouped into two groups. The current FIBA rankings are in brackets. The groups comprise of:
Group A: Australia (2), Belarus (30), Brazil (4), Korea (7), Latvia (26) and Russia (3)
Group B: China (10), Czech Republic (9), Mali (31), New Zealand (16), Spain (5) and USA (1)
I look forward to women’s olympic basketball Beijing style.
China Olympics
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