FIBA has announced the new dates for Victoria’s Olympic qualifying basketball tournament in the summer of 2021.
The tournament, initially slated for June 2020 but was postponed due to COVID-19, will now be played between June 29 and July 4, 2021.
“Next summer’s FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament will be a much-welcomed occasion to realize the power of sport and help unite our country,” said Glen Grunwald, President & CEO of Canada Basketball. “Let’s all plan on coming together to cheer on Team Canada to a berth in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.”
The event will feature six teams, including Team Canada, as part of a week-long basketball tournament. The winner will secure a berth to the Tokyo Olympics, which has also been postponed until next year.
“Representing your country is one of the greatest honours in sport,” Grunwald said. “I know our players will see the challenge ahead of them next summer as one small opportunity to recognize the daily sacrifices of all the frontline workers who are keeping our country safe and operating during this pandemic.”
For anyone who purchased tickets prior to the qualifying tournament’s postponement, the following options are available:
- Hold onto your tickets – all previously purchased ticket packages will be honoured for the new tournament dates.
- Request a full refund – email info@selectyourtickets.
com, or call the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre Box Office at 250-220-7777 before June 30, 2020
“Communities across the Capital Region, Canada and around the world continue to show tremendous resiliency in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Clint Hamilton, Chair, Friends of Victoria Basketball. “If we continue along this positive path we’re on, hosting the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament next summer in Greater Victoria will be something we can all look forward to as a chance to witness world-class sport, celebrate our collective perseverance and the determined spirit shown in overcoming this global crisis.”
“We appreciate the strong expression of support from FIBA and Canada Basketball in affirming us the host of this important event moving forward,” added Hamilton.
According to a FIBA press release, these dates have been confirmed with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which will now host the Tokyo 2020 Olympic games from July 23 to August 8, 2021.
The six participating teams slated to come to Victoria next summer have been divided into two groups of three teams each: Canada will face Greece and China in Group A, while Uruguay, Czech Republic and Turkey have been drawn into Group B.
Each team will face the other two in the Group Phase from June 29-July 1. The top two teams in each group will advance to the semifinals (July 3). The two semifinal winners will advance to the Final (July 4), with the winner punching their ticket to Japan.
The six-team spectacle coming to Victoria has potential to include top-tier NBA talent. Canada boasts some of the league’s best young talents in Jamal Murray, RJ Barrett and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, while Greece is home to the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player in Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The goal for this tournament from local Vancouver Island organizers is to “ensure that this exciting opportunity also generates tangible legacies in Victoria and across the Capital Region in the form of sport development, social, cultural, economic and community development enhancements,” reads a statement in the press release.
In addition to Canada, the National Federations of Croatia (Split), Lithuania (Kaunas) and Serbia (Belgrade) will also host FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments.
Tickets to the event are still available and more information can be found at vic2020.basketball.ca.
Graham Cox
