FIBA announced today that the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre, in Victoria, BC will be played between June 29 and July 4, 2021.

 

“Communities across the Capital Region, Canada and around the world continue to show tremendous resiliency in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Clint Hamilton, Chair, Friends of Victoria Basketball.  “If we continue along this positive path we’re on, hosting the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament next summer in Greater Victoria will be something we can all look forward to as a chance to witness world-class sport, celebrate our collective perseverance and the determined spirit shown in overcoming this global crisis.”

 

“We appreciate the strong expression of support from FIBA and Canada Basketball in affirming us the host of this important event moving forward,” Hamilton said.

 

The following options are available to those who currently hold or are looking to buy ticket packages for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Victoria:

 

  1. Hold on to your tickets: All previously purchased ticket packages will be honoured for the new tournament dates. 

 

  1. Request a full refund: Email [email protected], or call the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre Box Office at 250-220-7777 before June 30, 2020, after which all tickets will be non-refundable and honoured for the new tournament dates. 

 

  1. Purchase ticket package: For those interested, nine-game ticket packages are available online at www.selectyourtickets.com.

 

“Next summer’s FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament will be a much welcomed occasion to realize the power of sport and help unite our country,” said Glen Grunwald, President & CEO of Canada Basketball.  “Let’s all plan on coming together to cheer on Team Canada to a berth in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.”

 

“Representing your country is one of the greatest honours in sport,” Grunwald said.  “I know our players will see the challenge ahead of them next summer as one small opportunity to recognize the daily sacrifices of all the frontline workers who are keeping our country safe and operating during this pandemic.”

 

A new daily schedule and single-game tickets will be made available at a later date. The Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre in Victoria, British Columbia will remain as the venue for FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

After discussions with the International Olympic Committee, FIBA has confirmed that the rescheduled men’s FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments will be played from June 29 to July 4, 2021.

FIBA has been involved in a consultation process with the IOC regarding these four tournaments, in which the players’ workload, the national team preparations and the national league calendars were all considered. The IOC has exceptionally approved these dates due to these factors and also the extraordinary circumstances that have occurred with the rescheduling of the Tokyo Olympic Games.

FIBA President Hamane Niang and Secretary General Andreas Zagklis have expressed their thanks to the IOC President Thomas Bach and the IOC Executive Board.

The four FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments are to be played in Canada, Croatia, Lithuania and Serbia, with the National Federations being awarded the hosting rights in 2019 by FIBA’s Executive Committee.

In total, 24 men’s national teams are set to compete in these four qualifying tournaments of six teams each, with seven teams already qualified directly for the Olympics from the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019, along with Japan as hosts.

The draw for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments was confirmed during a ceremony at the Patrick Baumann House of Basketball, FIBA headquarters in late November 2019. The draw results can be found here.

The winners of the four tournaments will qualify for the Tokyo Olympic Games, now taking place from July 23 to August 8, 2021.

The competition schedule for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments will be updated accordingly.