PARIS (2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments) - Four members of France's silver-medal winning side at the London Games four years ago have been included in Les Bleues' preliminary squad for the FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament (WOQT) in Nantes.

Celine Dumerc, the team's MVP in 2012 after the French made it successfully through the WOQT in Turkey and then reached the Final of the London Games, as well as Endene Miyem, Isabelle Yacoubou and Sandrine Gruda are on the 18-strong list of players hoping to feature at the WOQT.

Dumerc (FRA) was a big hit at the London Games in 2012

National team coach Valerie Garnier has 11 of the 12 players that reached the Final of EuroBasket Women 2015 in the preliminary squad. The only member of the team last year not on the list is Diandra Tchatchouang, who is injured. France had hoped to win last year's event that was staged in Romania and Hungary to clinch a spot in Rio de Janeiro and avoid the WOQT but they fell to Serbia in the Final.

The preparations for the WOQT, which is to be staged 13-19 June, will begin in Angers on 16 May. At the event itself, France will take on New Zealand and Cuba in Group A. If they have a top-two position after those games, Garnier's side will take on a Group B side - Cameroon, Turkey or Argentina - for the right to play at the Olympics. Should France play in that game and lose, they would still be able to reach Rio de Janeiro by winning a couple of more games.

The French are among the favorites to claim one of the five places up for grabs at the WOQT for Rio. Ana Maria Filip, who played for the team the past couple of years, says she and her teammates cannot afford to look past any opponents, starting with Group A foes New Zealand and Cuba.

"We know that even though they may have less talent, they have nothing to lose," she warned. "They will be very aggressive..."

Garnier says she had envisioned bringing a smaller group to Angers but opted for 18 players since so many of members of the national team program have had long, hard seasons.

We have currently only one goal in mind, qualifying for Rio. We know that it will be complicated, but feasible, which is why we must do everything we can to get there. - Garnier

"A lot of players are coming off grueling domestic and international seasons," said Patrick Beesley, the director of the national teams for the French Basketball Federation. "Valerie will have to manage the workforce, hence the need for a wider initial list than we had originally planned."

France 18-player preliminary squad for 2016 FIBA WOQT: Marielle Amant, Valeriane Ayayi, Amel Bouderra, Helena Ciak, Celine Dumerc, Olivia Epoupa, Ana Maria Filip, Aby Gaye, Johanne Gomis, Sandrine Gruda, Marine Johannes, Laetitia Kamba, Sarah Michel, Endy Miyem, Paoline Salagnac, Gaelle Skrela, Ingrid Tanqueray and Isabelle Yacoubou.

FIBA