FIBA - Profile of 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup wild card candidate: Brazil

MIES (FIBA Basketball World Cup) - On 1 February 2014, FIBA's Central Board will announce the national teams that will be the recipients of the four wild cards to complete the field at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

Fifteen national teams from across four FIBA zones submitted their applications for the wild cards. They all participated in their respective 2013 continental championships which are qualifying tournament for FIBA's flagship event in Spain next year (30 August-14 September 2014).

The 15 candidates are: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, China, Finland, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Nigeria, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Turkey and Venezuela.

In the lead-up to the decision on 1 February, we will profile all 15 applicants.

Today, we look at Brazil (BRA).

Recent history in international competitions: Just one summer removed from losing to Argentina in the Quarter-Finals and an eventual fifth-place finish at the 2012 London Olympics, Brazil crashed out winless in the First Round of the 2013 FIBA Americas Championship. The four-time FIBA Americas champs and 2011 finalists did not bring many of their stars to Venezuela. Brazil dropped their opener to Puerto Rico, lost by 29 points to Canada, suffered defeat to Uruguay and then finished the tournament at 0-4 after a loss to Jamaica. It was the Selecao's worst-ever FIBA Americas showing. Brazil, the hosts of the 2016 Olympic Games, remain a huge name in world basketball despite a lack of top-notch world stage results recently, other than the London Games. They failed to qualify for the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympics and have reached the Quarter-Finals just once in the last five FIBA World Championships, coming in eighth in 2002. Brazil have six podium finishes in FIBA's flagship event, including winning the title in 1959 and 1963.

Carlos Nunes, the President of Brazil's Basketball Federation (CBB), took time to make the case on his country's behalf to be given a wild card.

FIBA: What are the three main reasons why your country deserves to receive a wild card to participate in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup?
Nunes: 1. Brazil's participation in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup is fundamental for the process of continuous growth of basketball, its fans and athletes in the country. 2. Brazil will host the 2016 Olympic Games and the success of the national team is enormously important to the popularity of the sport during the Games. Following the 2012 London Olympics, Brazilian newspaper O Globo ran a poll on its website to find out from its readers which was their favourite sport during the Olympic Games. Basketball was tops with 25 percent of the 5,300 votes. The result was explained by the fact that Brazil had a competitive team with medal ambitions. 3 Brazil is a country with a population of almost 200 million people, it is a growing economy, and a great potential for market development. This development will be beneficial to current partners of Brazilian basketball and FIBA. It will also create the possibility for new partnerships and the organisation of FIBA events in Brazil after the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games.

FIBA: If given a wild card, how competitive can we expect your country to be and how confident are you that the team will feature all its leading/best players?
Nunes: Just as it happened at London 2012, Brazil will have its full force at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain. Anderson Varejao, Leandro Barbosa, Nene Hilario, Tiago Splitter, Vitor Faverani, Marcelo Huertas, Alex Garcia and Guilherme Giovannoni among others have guaranteed their presence. Letters confirming their commitment to participate in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup have been sent to FIBA. We are certainly confident that coach Ruben Magnano, who is a proven basketball winner, will maintain Brazil among the top five teams in the world, just as he did in London 2012 less than two years ago.

FIBA: How will having your national team play at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup help the growth, development and popularity of the sport in your country?
Nunes: Brazil's presence at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup will represent a growth in audience and strengthen the image of the sport with the population and the media. It will also create proximity between the public and new idols, as well as attract new commercial partners and investments. We believe all of this is fundamental for the growth, development and popularity of the sport in Brazil.

FIBA: What do you consider as the greatest moment in your country's basketball history?
Nunes: Our country's greatest moment and glory in our basketball history is winning the FIBA World Championship for the second time at home in 1963 after having won it in 1959 in Chile.

Facts and Figures
• Brazil has over 15 million people playing basketball on a regular basis and 106,225 registered players within the federation. There are over 500 clubs and 45,000 players affiliated to the 26 state federations and the Federal District.
• The Brazilian League: On 9 November 2013, "Novo Basquete Brasil - NBB (New Basketball Brazil)", with the seal of CBB, started the sixth edition of the most important club championship in the country. It is being played by 17 teams and over 300 athletes. In the previous five editions, the NBB had the participation of 77 teams and around 1,500 athletes. In its third year of existence, the "Liga de Desenvolvimento de Basquete-LDB (Basketball Development League)" (for athletes under the age of 22), has 20 teams and over 300 players representing 10 states and the Federal District.
• In 2013, Brazilian National Federation projects have obtained over R$ 31 million (Real) in resources from: the Ministry of Sports (R$ 14.880.000,00), Bank Bradesco (R$ 3.368.000,00), Eletrobras (Government's Electricity Company)(R$ 5.500.000,00), Vivo (Telephone Company) (R$ 1.942.000,00), Redecard (Financial Institution) (R$ 1.882.000,00) and Light (State of Rio de Janeiro's Electricity Company) (R$ 300.000,00), in conjunction with the Brazilian Olympic Committee, by the Agnelo Piva Law (R$ 3.903.000,00).
• In the Olympic cycle 2013-2016, the Ministry of Sport is investing R$2.5 billion (Real) in infrastructure, multi-disciplinary team and preparation of Olympic and Paralympic athletes. Basketball is part of the "Brasil Medalhas 2016" (Brazil Medals 2016) project, elaborated by the Ministry of Sports, which has the 2016 Rio Olympic Games as its main objective.
• Regular channels, cable and satellite TV in Brazil broadcast annually over 200 games that include NBA, WNBA, ACB, Euroleague, NCAA, FIBA Americas League, South American League, NBB (New Basketball Brazil), Sao Paulo state league and national team games. Included in these broadcasts, there are several FIBA and FIBA Americas events (World Championship, South American Championship, Copa America and Olympic Qualifier), besides the Pan American Games and the Olympic Games.

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