Four spots left for basketball teams to qualify for Olympic Games

With less than a month until the Olympic Games, the 2020 FIBA Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournament is the last and final qualifier for team sports events at Tokyo 2020.

And there is plenty on the line with 24 teams vying for just four Olympic spots when action begins on 29 June.

The qualifiers will take place across four tournaments in Victoria (Canada), Split (Croatia), Kaunas (Lithuania) and Belgrade (Serbia) with six teams in each. The winning teams from each event will qualify for the Olympics next month.

Teams and players will be playing in front of stands of excited spectators with COVID-19 protocols in place at all the events.

The winners will join Nigeria, Argentina, United States, Islamic Republic of Iran, France, Spain and Australia, who all qualified via the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup and host Japan.

Here's how the qualifying tournaments are taking shape.

Victoria, Canada

Group A: Greece, People's Republic of China and Canada

Group B: Uruguay, Czech Republic and Turkey

On paper it would appear Canada would have this spot wrapped up, after all, they boast the second-most NBA players behind the United States but, as they say, anything is possible. Canada have not reached the Olympics since Sydney 2000. Five years ago they came agonisingly close making the final of the qualifying tournament but France took the spot with a 93-84 win.

The likes of Turkey, who also have an abundance of NBA power including Ersan Ilyasova and Furkan Korkmaz, will be trying to give their nation its first Olympic berth since 1952.

Greece and People's Republic of China are in peculiar positions. Greece will be without a host of key players as they face a competitive field as they search for their first Games since Beijing 2008.

Meanwhile, People's Republic of China, who have been to every Olympics since 1984 - the third-longest active streak behind Australia and USA - will also be without some of their stars including YI Jianlian, who has an Achilles injury. And with an average age of 24, they will be one of the youngest squads at the Qualifier.

The Czech Republic could be the surprise packet of the group. After making their first FIBA World Cup in 2019, reaching the quarter-finals, they are one of three teams in the Victoria tournament to be ranked within the top 20 in the world.

Uruguay are the lowest-ranked team (world no.45) of the 24 at these Olympic qualifiers.

Split, Croatia

Group A: Germany, ROC and Mexico

Group B: Tunisia, Croatia and Brazil

With a strong home crowd expected in Split, could that lift Croatia as they play in their third Olympic Qualifying Tournament? While they had a bit of stumble in their friendly match against Slovenia, Croatia did have two wins over Puerto Rico last week, giving them a much-needed boost.

Brazil are also likely to be pushing to be the winner of the group. Since 2010 they've made appearances at all major international tournaments including two Olympic Games, three World Cups and two Pan American Games - where they won gold at Peru 2015.

And with a squad boasting the experience of Anderson Varejao and Marcelinho Huertas, both 38, helping bring through the next generation of stars - something coach Aco Petrovic has been striving to do since day one - this event in Split could just see Brazil put themselves on the map.

Meanwhile, it hasn't been an easy lead into the tournament for Tunisia. The first two of four preparation games for the qualifier in Split saw losses to Russia and Mexico for the reigning African champions before they went down to Italy and Czech Republic in Hamburg, Germany last week.

Tunisia's only Olympic appearance came at London 2012. Those Games were also the last time Russia qualified, coming away with a bronze medal.

While Germany hopes to be back at the Olympic Games for the first time in 13 years, for Mexico it's been even longer with their last participation coming at Montreal 1976.

Kaunas, Lithuania

Group A: Lithuania, Republic of Korea and Venezuela

Group B: Poland, Slovenia and Angola

Hosts Lithuania have competed at every Olympic Games since Barcelona 1992. Those Games also marked the first of three Olympic bronze medals for the nation, something they would repeat at Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000. With 75 per cent crowd capacity at the Zalgiris Arena, around 11,500 spectators expected to attend - mostly Lithuanian citizens.

It won't be easy for teams to overcome this basketball powerhouse but Slovenia's Luka Doncic might just spoil the party.

While the 22-year-old hasn't played for Slovenia since their title-winning FIBA EuroBasket 2017 campaign - the first time they won a major international tournament - he announced his determination to help his country to the Olympic Games.

Just last week Slovenia beat Croatia in their two friendly matches.

Venezuela and Angola both boast strong line-ups. The South American nation has 10 players from their FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 squad that finished 14th. While Angola, who will be led by newly-appointed Josep Claros, have a mixture of youth, including brothers Selton and Rifen Miguel, and experience, with the likes of former Olympians Carlos Morais and Leonel Paulo.

Poland and Republic of Korea have coincidentally each made it to six Olympic Games but have spent quite a long time away from the world's biggest sporting stage.

Belgrade, Serbia

Group A: Dominican Republic, Philippines and Serbia

Group B: Puerto Rico, Italy and Senegal

Initially, New Zealand had qualified for the tournament but in February 2021 Basketball New Zealand announced that they would pull out of the competition. FIBA replaced them with the Philippines, as the next-best team from the Asia-Oceania region in FIBA World Rankings.

The Philippines, a nation obsessed with basketball, will be hoping to participate at the Olympics for the first time since Munich 1972.

However, they have been drawn against group favourites Serbia. The Rio 2016 silver medallists will have the home-court advantage but a few things have changed since five years ago. A new head coach in Igor Kokoskov replaced Sasha Djordjevic - a legend as a player and coach - after Serbia's fifth-place finish at the World Cup in 2019.

Meanwhile, Italy will be looking to rectify their performance at the Rio 2016 qualifying event, where they lost to Croatia in the final. Only Nicolo Melli remains from that group, with the new generation hoping to return to the heights of Athens 2004 where they won a silver medal.

Puerto Rico are another nation from Athens 2004 looking to return to the Olympic stage while Senegal last featured in an Olympic Basketball men's tournament at Moscow 1980. The Dominican Republic is the only team in the group without Olympic experience so could create history if they can win this tournament.