FIBA Oceania - Oceania teams for Beijing decided in historic FIBA Oceania Championships.

MELBOURNE (FIBA Oceania Championship) - Some of the teams from the Oceania region who will contest the Beijing Olympic Games Basketball competition have been decided following the conduct of the FIBA Oceania Championships for Men and Women in August and September.

The Australian Boomers hold the Al Ramsay Shield as FIBA Oceania Champions following a 2 games to 1 victory over New Zealand and will go on to represent the zone in Beijing.

The 2007 FIBA Oceania Championship was played in the Australian cities of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane and was televised in Australia on pay for view station Fox Sports, in New Zealand on Maori Television and for the first time in the Pacific on TVNZ’s Pacific Service. Good crowds turned out at the Vodafone Arena in Melbourne, home court of the (Australian) NBL team South Dragons, the Sydney Entertainment Centre (home of the Kings) and at Boondall in Brisbane.

Although Australia won game one and two of the series and as a result had booked a berth to Beijing a crowd of 2,500 turned up in Brisbane to see the third game in the series and were rewarded with a victory for the Kiwis.

This will probably be the last FIBA Oceania Men’s Championships which will be played in the present format with moves underway to play future competitions as a home and away competition in both New Zealand and Australia.

The Women’s event played in Dunedin on New Zealand’s South Island was also historic, but for a different reason. The competition became a three way series when Fiji won the right to participate after they had picked up the South Pacific Games Women’s Basketball Gold medal in August. This was the first time Fiji have participated in an Oceania Championship.

The records show that Fiji was comprehensively beaten by both Australia and New Zealand but they have now taken their first tentative steps to the next level in women’s basketball. In addition by participating in the Oceania Championships they have gained the right to enter FIBA’s Pre-Olympic Tournament in June next year for a second chance to qualify as one of the 12 women’s teams in Beijing.

SKY Television and TVNZ’s Pacific Service picked up the games in this championships and broadcast them in New Zealand and the Pacific.

In summary; The Australian Opals will compete in Beijing as FIBA’s reigning Women’s World Champions. The New Zealand Tall Ferns will compete in Beijing as the highest ranking Oceania qualifier. Fiji will participate in a pre-Olympic tournament from which 5 additional women’s teams will play in Beijing.

In the men’s competition, the Australian Boomers will play in Beijing as Oceania Champions and the New Zealand Tall Blacks will participate in a Pre-Olympic Tournament in July of next year from which 3 additional men’s teams will be selected for Beijing.

Good luck to our two participants in the Pre-Olympic Tournaments – we hope you qualify for the Olympic competition, and good luck to our three already qualified teams in the Olympic Basketball competition.

FIBA Oceania