TEST EVENT - London prepares; so do teams

LONDON (Olympic Test Event) - On 16 August, London's Olympic Basketball Arena will get its first taste of action, as six top international teams come face to face in London International Invitational - the Olympic Test Event.

Hosts Great Britain have invited Australia, China, Croatia, France and Serbia for a six team round robin tournament.

This tournament represents a key part of teams' preparations for their respective Continental Championships, where all countries - except GB, who qualified automatically - will be fighting for a place at next year's Olympic Games.

FIBA's recent announcement clearing NBA players to play abroad as well as for their countries, means that injuries aside, most teams will be lining up their strongest possible rosters for this summer's qualifiers.

Home side Great Britain have announced the inclusion of Luol Deng, while France - led by Tony Parker - have arguably managed to bring together one fo their strongest ever teams. Chinese big man Yi Jianlian, Australian Patty Mills, Serbia's Milos Teodosic and Croatia's Ante Tomic all look likely to take to the court as London prepares for the biggest basketball show in its history.

Click here to win tickets to the Olympic Basketball Test Event.

Follow FIBA's exclusive coverage of the Test Event on london2012.fiba.com.

FIBA