LAT - Tare looks ahead to FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women

RIGA (Olympics) - Latvia star Ieva TARE is playing a waiting game.

She is dreaming about fulfilling a lifetime’s ambition, to play at the Olympics, but there are big hurdles to clear before that happens.

A leading player with TTT Riga in the EuroLeague Women, Tare was a vital part of her national team’s success last summer in Italy, when they reached the semi-finals of the

EuroCup Women before falling to Russia.

It didn’t help that injuries to leading players Anete Jekabsone-Zogota and Gunta Basko hurt their chances in that semi-final.

The setback meant that Latvia would have to go to the 12-team FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women in Madrid instead and the draw for that competition is on Monday.

“It will be a great opportunity for the Latvian national team to qualify,” Tare said.

“But it will be very hard for sure. Only five of the 12 teams go through. And the others will be very good. Most important will be who is in our group.

“But we won't know for a while (the draw is January 14 in Madrid).”

Indeed, it will be a very big ask to reach the Beijing Olympics.

Europe has put a glittering array of teams in the competition, with EuroBasket runners-up Spain, bronze-medal winners Belarus and the Czech Republic also taking part.

Then there are the teams from the FIBA Americas, including Brazil, Argentina and Cuba.

Asia will have Chinese Taipei and Japan, Angola and Senegal will represent Africa and Oceania has Fiji taking part.

Other than the opponents, it will be a tough tournament for Latvia because it follows shortly after the end of TTT Riga’s season, with the games tipping off in Spain on June 9.

“I don't know,” Tare said. “It will come after a very hard season. But everybody else has to do the same, so that won't have much of an effect.

“That's life and we'll deal with it.”

There is little doubt as to what it would mean for Tare, and women’s basketball in Latvia if she and her teammates were to qualify for Beijing.

“That is so big,” she said. “It would be very, very, very great, especially since we're such a small country.”

FIBA