Basketball At the Summer Olympics Information
Basketball has been a Summer Olympics sport for men consistently since 1936. Prior to its inclusion as a medal sport, it was held as demonstration event in 1904. Women's basketball was played in the Olympics only since 1976.
The United States is by far the most successful nation in Olympic basketball. American men's teams won 13 of 16 tournaments they participated in, including seven successive titles from 1936 to 1968. American women's teams won 6 titles out of 8 participations, including four in a row from 1996 to 2008.
History
Basketball was invented by the Canadian-American James Naismith in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1891. Within a few decades, the new game became popular throughout the United States as an indoor sport. The popularity spread overseas and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) was organized in 1932 in Geneva, Switzerland.
Early American dominance
Thanks in part to the effort of Phog Allen[1][2] (Kansas Jayhawks collegiate coach), the first Olympic basketball tournament was organized in the 1936 Summer Olympics at Berlin on outdoor tennis courts. Dr. Naismith presented the medals to the top three teams. According to the Olympic rules of that time, all of the competitors were amateurs. The tournament was held indoors for the first time in 1948. The American team proved its dominance, winning the first seven Olympic tournaments until 1968 without losing a single game. The Soviet Union, that joined the Olympics in 1952, became the Americans' main rival, and was runner-up four successive times from 1952 to 1964. Yugoslavia emerged as a major force in 1968, when they beat the Soviets in the semifinal but lost to the Americans in the final.
70s and 80s
The United States winning streak ended in 1972, when the Soviet Union beat them in the gold-medal game in highly controversial circumstances. The Americans refused to receive their silver medals and they have been kept in IOC possession ever since. The Americans reclaimed the gold medal in 1976, with Yugoslavia runner-up for the second time. In 1980, with the Americans' absence due to the boycott, Yugoslavia became the third team to win the title after beating the Soviets in the semifinals and Italy in the final. The United States regained the title in 1984, beating Spain in the final, with the Soviets boycotting this time. The Soviets won the gold medal for the second time in 1988, after beating the Americans for the second time in the semifinal, and the Yugoslavs in the gold medal game.
Professional era
In 1989, through the leadership of President Borislav Stanković, FIBA approved the rule that allowed NBA players to compete in international tournaments, including the Olympics. In the next Olympics in 1992, the "Dream Team" won the gold medal with average winning margin of 44 points, and without calling a time out. By this time, Soviet Union and Yugoslavia no longer existed, but their predecessors continued to be among the leading forces. Two newly-independent counties, Croatia and Lithuania, won the silver and bronze medals respectively.
The Americans repeated their victory in 1996 and 2000, but they were not as impressive as in 1992. In 1996, Atlanta was the only host city so far with an NBA team since NBA players were allowed to compete in the Olympics, as Atlanta is home to the Hawks. Serbia and Montenegro was the runner-up in Atlanta, and France in Sydney, with Lithuania winning bronze again on both occasions.
The renewed dominance of the United States was interrupted in 2004 when the Americans suffered their third defeat in Olympic history to Argentina in the semifinals. The Argentines went on to beat Italy in the final and become the fourth team to win the Olympic title.
The United States regained the gold medal in 2008, with Spain as runner-up, and won their first global title since the 2000 Olympics.
Women
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Venues
Main article:
List of Olympic venues in basketball
All venues were indoor stadiums except for the 1936 tournament which was held outdoors on tennis courts.
- Berlin 1936: Reichsportfeld, Berlin
- London 1948: Harringay Arena, Harringay
- Helsinki 1952: Tennis Palace and Messuhalli II, both in Helsinki
- Melbourne 1956: Exhibition Building, Melbourne
- Rome 1960: Sports Arena and Sports Palace, Rome
- Tokyo 1964: Yoyogi National Gymnasium, Tokyo
- Mexico City 1968: Palacio de los Deportes, Mexico City
- Munich 1972: Rudi-Sedlmayer-Halle, Siegenburger Straße, Munich
- Montreal 1976: Étienne Desmarteau Centre and the Montreal Forum, Montreal
- Moscow 1980: CSCA Sports Palace and Olimpiysky Stadium, Moscow
- Los Angeles 1984: The Forum, Inglewood
- Seoul 1988: Jamsil Arena, Seoul
- Barcelona 1992: Pavelló Olímpic de Badalona, Badalona
- Atlanta 1996: Forbes Arena and the Georgia Dome, Atlanta
- Sydney 2000: The Dome and Sydney SuperDome, Sydney
- Athens 2004: Helliniko Indoor Arena and the Olympic Indoor Hall, Athens
- Beijing 2008: Wukesong Indoor Stadium, Beijing
- London 2012: Olympic Basketball Arena and the O2 Arena, London
- Rio de Janeiro 2016: Arena 1 do Centro Olímpico de Treinamento, Rio de Janeiro
Qualifying
As of 2012, the qualifying process consists of three stages:
- 1 team (for each gender) qualifies as the reigning world champion.
- 7 teams for men and 5 for women qualify through their respective regional championships.
- 3 teams for men and 5 for women qualify through a world qualifying tournament, in which the best teams which did not qualify directly from each zone compete for the remaining berths.
Additionally, the teams of the host nation qualify automatically.
| Zone |
Men |
Women |
| World Championship |
1 |
1 |
| African championship |
1 |
1 |
| Americas championship |
2 |
1 |
| Asia championship |
1 |
1 |
| Europe championship |
2 |
1 |
| Oceania championship |
1 |
1 |
| World qualifying tournament |
3 |
5 |
| Host Nation |
1 |
1 |
| Total |
12 |
12 |
Men's tournaments
Performance by confederation
This is a summary of the best performances of each confederation in each tournament.
Participating nations
Notes
- ^A NOC was not member of IOC
- ^B as China from 1936–56
- ^C part of Yugoslavia from 1936–1988
- ^D competed as part of Soviet Union from 1952–88
- ^E as West Germany from 1968–88
- ^F part of Unified Team in 1992
- ^G now Serbia, as FR Yugoslavia from 1992–2002
- ^H part of Yugoslavia from 1936–1988
- ^I part of Malaysia in 1964
Unofficial or demonstration tournament winners
Women's tournaments
Performance by confederation
This is a summary of the best performances of each confederation in each tournament.
Participating nations
Medal Table
Total
Countries ranked by total medals won (men's and women's).
Medal table, men
Top finishes of countries that played in the men's tournament of Olympic basketball.
Medal table, women
Top finishes of countries that played in women's Olympic basketball.
Notes
- ^A NOC was not member of IOC
- ^B competed as part of Soviet Union from 1952–88
- ^C part of Unified Team in 1992
- ^D part of Czechoslovakia from 1920–92
- ^E as Zaire from 1984–96
See also
Notes
- ^ Before They Were Giants
- ^ Basketball Hall of Fame – Phog Allen
References
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International men's basketball
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- Note: The Under-21 Championship is no longer held.
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