THE International Basketball Federation (FIBA) on Wednesday announced the draws for the 2020 Olympic qualifying tournaments for both men and women at its headquarters, the Patrick Baumann House of Basketball, in Switzerland. The women’s FIBA Olympic qualifying tournaments, taking place from Feb. 6-9, 2020, will be staged in four countries: Belgium, China, France and Serbia. The men’s FIBA Olympic qualifying tournaments, taking place from June 23 to 28, 2020, will be played in Canada, Croatia, Lithuania and Serbia. In the men’s games, China in Pot 5 was put in Group A in Victoria, Canada, and will meet Greece and Canada, two of the strongest opponents from Pot 1 and Pot 2, respectively. China women’s basketball team is likely to face the unified Korean team. Women’s basketball is one of four sports that North Korea and South Korea are hoping to compete in as a unified team at Tokyo 2020, with others including women’s hockey, judo (mixed team event) and rowing (women’s and men’s in the fours, quadruple sculls and eights events).(SD-Agencies) |