Last night’s draw for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament made the Rio Olympics feel very real, and for some of the teams drawn, the chances of a summer trip to Brazil have doubled.
Possibly the two happiest teams right now would be Serbia’s men and Spain’s women, as both of whom have been given kind draws in their push for a spot at the Olympics.
Serbia, one of the co-hosts in the men’s sector have been drawn against Angola and Puerto Rico. Spain’s women, who will based in Nantes, France, will play Venezuela and China.
Eurobasket 2015 bronze-medallists France though face a tricky passage to Rio, as they have been drawn to travel to the Philippines’ capital Manila where they will play New Zealand and the hosts themselves.
The draws in full:
Men:
Women:
The reaction on Twitter gathered some interesting responses. Serbia’s draw was widely talked about as the easiest group, thrown in with some responses about their respective nation’s fate.
Thoughts on FIBA draw: Serbia have easy group, France going to Manila is going to be tricky and Czech Rep has favourable draw in Belgrade.
— John Hobbs (@JohnHobbsTB) January 26, 2016
Serbia appears to have by far easiest road to the 10th spot in Rio. France might have best team but tougher tests. https://t.co/KR72Ac9Dxv
— Brian Mahoney (@briancmahoney) January 26, 2016
David Hein on the other hand, thinks that Latvia would be a force in Belgrade, if they have the right players on board.
Latvia could be really tough if Kristaps Porzingis and Davis Bertans show up for #FIBAOQT – two 7-footers w that versatility – nasty
— David Hein (@heinnews) January 27, 2016
Lithuania’s own Simas Baranauskas has begun the trash talking with Serbia, saying that he can’t wait for neighbours Latvia to beat the hosts in the final.
https://twitter.com/LithuaniaBasket/status/692067564982255617
Recently retired NBA player and Canadian basketball’s general manager Steve Nash is thrilled that Canada will be competing in Manila. They have a good chance of qualifying as well, as they square off against Senegal and Turkey.
It’s official, Team Canada will play in Manila in July #FIBAOQT #RoadToRio #WeAreTeamCanada @CanBball
— Steve Nash (@SteveNash) January 26, 2016
And in the women’s draw, could Turkey bring back a legend for their qualifiers?
https://twitter.com/TurkishBBall/status/690202011720126464
Want to get involved? Then get on Twitter and get your views out there about the Olympic Qualifying Tournament using the hashtag #FIBAOQT and connect with millions of people, worldwide.