Two men’s basketball teams have now qualified for the 2016 Olympics.
The United States clinched a bid to Rio by winning the 2014 World Cup.
Brazil – which was in jeopardy of losing its bid over unreturned library books – received the berth typically given to the host nation.
FIBA release:Brazil’s men’s and women’s national teams will compete in the Olympic Basketball Tournament at the 2016 Rio Games after FIBA’s Central Board decided to grant them automatic places at its meeting in Tokyo on Sunday.
The decision was made based on the Brazil Basketball Confederation (CBB)'s application which confirms they meet the various sporting requirements, including having a rich sporting history in basketball and being able to guarantee their best teams competing in Rio.
CBB, supported by its partners and the Brazil Olympic Committee (BOC), has made a firm commitment to pay the outstanding debt.
According to FIBA’s statutes, the Central Board holds the right to grant automatic qualification to the host country organising the Olympic Games.
This is obviously great news for Brazil. Nene, Tiago Splitter, Anderson Varejao, Leandro Barbosa, Lucas Nogueira and Bruno Caboclo can definitely compete for a medal.
It’s also great news for the other teams competing in the FIBA Americas Championship:
- Canada
- Argentina
- Puerto Rico
- Dominican Republic
- Venezuela
- Mexico
- Panama
- Cuba
- Uruguay
The top two teams in that tournament, which begins Aug. 31, that haven’t already received an Olympic bid qualify for Rio. With Brazil gaining an Olympic berth now, that opens the door for another team in the FIBA Americas.
