Belgrade and Split selected to host Olympic basketball qualifying tournaments

REUTERS/Edgar Su

Bids by Croatia and Serbia have been selected to host two of four men's basketball qualifying tournaments for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) announced on Friday.

The four men’s tournaments will involve 24 national teams from FIBA’s four continental federations, with four winners qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics. All four hosts will also vie for a spot at the Olympics.

Croatia’s venue will be the Spaladium Arena in its second city of Split, while Serbia will host its tournament at the Stark Arena in Belgrade. Other two cities selected are Victoria in Canada and Kaunas in Lithuania.

The tournaments will be played on June 23-28, 2020 and the official draw will take place at FIBA headquarters in Mies, Switzerland on November 27.

Belgrade’s Aleksandar Nikolic Sports Hall was also selected to host one of four women’s qualifying tournaments, played in February, along with Ostend in Belgium, Foshan in China, and Bourges in France.