Use double quotes to find documents that include the exact phrase: "aerodynamic AND testing"

TORONTO, Ont. (May 14, 2020) – FIBA announced today that the four FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments will be played between June 29 and July 4, 2021.

“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.”

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. 

2. Request a full refund – email info@selectyourtickets.com, 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. 

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

Single game tickets will be available at a later date.

“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 Victoria Memorial Centre in Victoria, British Columbia will remain as the venue for FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, which was originally scheduled for June 23-28, 2020.

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 2020 Olympic Games.

In March, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Government of Japan announced that the games of the XXXII Olympiad would be held July 23 to August 8, 2021.

Friends of Victoria Basketball, a not-for-profit corporation, is the local organizing committee responsible for the planning and delivery of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament and related celebrations. In addition to delivering a world-class international event, the Friends of Victoria Basketball will be working to ensure that this exciting opportunity also generates tangible legacies in Victoria and across the Capital Region in the form of sport development, social, cultural, economic and community development enhancements.

The six participating teams have been divided into two groups of three teams each: Canada will face Greece and China in Group A, while Uruguay, Czech Republic and Turkey have been drawn into Group B.  Each team will face the other two in the Group Phase from June 29-July 1.  The top two teams in each group will advance to the semifinals (July 3).  The two semifinal winners will advance to the Final (July 4), with the winner qualifying for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

The FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments will include the 16 best-placed non-qualified teams from the FIBA Basketball World Cup and two highest-ranked countries per region in the FIBA World Ranking, presented by NIKE.

In addition to Canada, the National Federations of Croatia (Split), Lithuania (Kaunas) and Serbia (Belgrade) will also host FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments.

Developments in the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continue to change regularly and Canada Basketball will remain in contact with and follow the directions of the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) and World Health Organization (WHO) to ensure we are aware of, and aligned with, appropriate recommendations and requirements.

Canada Basketball continues to encourage everyone to practice physical distancing to limit public interactions and do our collective part in slowing the impending spread of the virus and flatten the curve.  Recommendations for protecting yourself and preventing spread of this illness also include frequent hand washing and covering both your nose and mouth when coughing.

For more information on the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Victoria, please visit vic2020.basketball.ca.

-30-

Ce texte est également disponible en français. Pour en obtenir une copie, veuillez communiquer avec Matt Walker. (coordonnées ci-dessous). 

For more information, contact:
Matt Walker, mwalker@basketball.ca