By Olalekan Okusan
Nigeria’s men and women basketball teams – D’Tigers and D’Tigress -will know their group opponents as the draw for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Basketball Tournaments holds today in Switzerland.
According to FIBA, the draws will take place behind closed doors due to COVID-19 restrictions at the Patrick Baumann House of Basketball in Mies.
Twelve women’s teams have qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Basketball Tournament, representing five continents and they are Nigeria (Africa), Canada, Puerto Rico and United States of America (Americas), China, Japan (host) and Korea (Asia), Belgium, France, Serbia and Spain (Europe) and Australia (Oceania).
According to the format, each team will be allocated to four pots based on the FIBA Women’s World Ranking and the draw will distribute the teams in three groups of four teams each and all teams will be drawn and placed into either Group A, B or C. There can be a maximum of one group with two European teams and no more than one team from other continents in the same group.
Eight men’s teams have secured their places to Tokyo 2020 Men’s Olympic Basketball Tournament through the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019, representing five continents and they are Nigeria (Africa), Argentina and the USA (Americas), Iran and Japan (Asia), France and Spain (Europe) and Australia (Oceania).
According to FIBA, the remaining four slots will be awarded to the four teams winning the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments scheduled from June 29 to July 4, 2021, in Victoria, Canada; Split, Croatia; Kaunas, Lithuania; and Belgrade Serbia.
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