With less than three months until the planned start of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, Friends of Victoria Basketball, along with their partners at Canada Basketball, are on track to host one of Canada’s most important basketball tournaments.
With the Tokyo Olympic Games intending to move forward this summer, Friends of Victoria Basketball continues to plan the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for June 29 to July 4 at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre.
The Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre is currently being used as a shelter, housing up to 45 people facing homelessness. The BC Housing lease at the centre ends May 30.
In-person attendance for the games is still to be determined, in accordance with evolving local and provincial health orders. Friends of Victoria Basketball is planning for multiple scenarios, from a bubble with no spectators to a percentage of spectator capacity.
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“All six nations are coming to Victoria with the goal of securing an Olympic berth so the stakes will be high and we expect to see some tight, hard-fought games,” said Clint Hamilton of Friends of Victoria Basketball.
Canada is in Group A for the tournament and will face Greece and China in the Group Phase, while Uruguay, Czech Republic and Turkey have been drawn into Group B.
Each team will play the other two teams in its own group with the top two teams in each group advancing to the semifinals. The two semi-final winners will advance to the final, with the winner qualifying for the Tokyo Olympic Games.
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We The West Basketball Festival is a grassroots movement to highlight the people and programs that contribute to basketball in Victoria and across B.C. What originated as a large-scale public event to coincide with the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, We The West continues to pivot and adapt due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Updates will appear at wethewestfest.com as the event nears.
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Friends of Victoria Basketball continues to plan the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for June 29 to July 4 at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre in Victoria. (Courtesy Canada Basketball)
