FIBA Awards Wild Card Berths For 2010 World Championship For Men

Dec. 12, 2009 - Istanbul, Turkey

During Saturday's meeting of the FIBA Central Board, Germany (No. 7 in FIBA's world rankings), Lebanon (No. 24 in FIBA's world rankings), Lithuania (No. 6 in FIBA's world rankings) and Russia (No. 17 in FIBA's world rankings) were awarded FIBA's wild card entries to next year's FIBA World Championship for Men in Turkey.

Among those national teams missing out on the wild card berths were Cameroon, Dominican Republic, 2012 Olympic host Great Britain, Nigeria and South Korea.

The 24 teams qualified for the 2010 worlds include host Turkey and 2008 Olympic champion USA. Qualifying through the FIBA Africa Zone qualifier were Angola (Africa Zone Qualifier #1), Cote D'Ivoire (Africa Zone Qualifier #2) and Tunisa (Africa Zone Qualifier #3). Advancing out of the FIBA Americas Zone qualifier were Brazil (Americas Zone Qualifier #1); Puerto Rico (Americas Zone Qualifier #2), Argentina (Americas Zone Qualifier #3) and Canada (Americas Zone Qualifier #4). FIBA Asia Zone qualifying teams include Iran (Asia Zone Qualifier #1), China (Asia Zone Qualifier #2) and Jordan (Asia Zone Qualifier #3). Six teams qualfied for Turkey through the FIBA Europe Zone qualifier, including Spain (European Zone Qualifier #1), Serbia (European Zone Qualifier #2), Greece (European Zone Qualifier #3), Slovenia (European Zone Qualifier #4), France (European Zone Qualifier #5) and Croatia (European Zone Qualifier #6). Advancing from the FIBA Oceania Zone were New Zealand (Oceania Zone Qualifier #1) and Australia (Oceania Zone Qualifier #2). The four FIBA wild card selections, Germany, Lebanon, Lithuania and Russia rounded out the field.

Wild Card Criteria
The wild card decisions were made in accordance with the criteria outlined by the FIBA Central Board.

The wild card system was first introduced for the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan, following the decision to increase the number of teams from 16 to 24.

In addition to the two above-mentioned provisions, FIBA shall take the following aspects into consideration:

Sporting Aspects

Economic Aspects

• The involvement of the local television and/or competitions in domestic and international basketball.
  
  
• The importance of the country to FIBA's marketing and television partners.
  
  
• The importance of the country to the Organizers of the World Championship.

Governance Aspects

• Compliance with the Internal Regulations and General Statutes of FIBA.
  
  
• The quality of the work of the National Federation Governmental support to the National Federation.

Quick Facts about the FIBA World Championship

• Held every four years, the FIBA World Championship determines the world's top nation in men's basketball.
  
  
• The tournament was first held in 1950 in Argentina and the sixteenth edition will be played next year Turkey.
  
  
• Seven different teams have been crowned World Champions. Leading the medal table are the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia and the USA, all having won the Championship three times.
  
  
• All told, the USA has won 10 medals in World Championship play - three gold (1954, 1986 and 1994), three silver (1950, 1959 and 1982) and four bronze medals (1974, 1990, 1998 and 2006). USA teams have compiled an overall 105-27 win-loss record in the World Championships for a 79.5 winning percentage.
  
  
• Spain is the defending the title they won in Japan in 2006, while the USA is the 2008 Olympic champion.
  
  
• The 2010 FIBA World Champion will automatically qualify for the 2012 Olympic Basketball Tournament in London
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• More on the FIBA World Championship website turkey2010.fiba.com.
  
  

2010-2012 USA Basketball Men's National Team
Over the course of 2010-2012, USA Men's National Teams will compete in the 2010 FIBA World Championship (Aug. 28-Sept. 12 in Turkey); if necessary the 2011 FIBA Americas Olympic Qualifying Tournament (dates and site TBD); and if the USA qualifies, the 2012 Summer Olympic Games (July 26-Aug. 12 in London, England).

The USA Basketball Men's National Team Program is headed by Phoenix Suns and USA Basketball Chairman Jerry Colangelo, who was named Managing Director of the USA Men's National Team program on April 27, 2005.

Returning in 2010-2012 for a second run with the USA Basketball Men's National Team is the entire 2006-08 USA Basketball Men's National Team coaching staff. Led by head coach Mike Krzyzewski (Duke University), and assistants Jim Boeheim (Syracuse University), Mike D'Antoni (New York Knicks) and Nate McMillan (Portland Trail Blazers), a staff that led the American men to gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and a three year record of 36-1, the coaching staff will return intact to lead the USA Basketball Men's National Team program in 2010-2012.

USA Basketball initiated its historic men's national team program in 2005 and capped the 2005-2008 quad competitions with a magnificent gold medal run at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

USA Basketball's National Team program during the three-year period between 2006 and 2008 compiled a striking 36-1 overall win-loss record and just as importantly reestablished the USA team and its members as positive ambassadors for the United States and the sport.

The USA squad culminated the quadrennium by finishing 8-0 to reclaim the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the USA's first gold in a major international competition since 2000. The USA National Team also won gold at the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship with a 10-0 record to qualify the U.S. men for the 2008 Olympic Games. In the program's first year, the U.S. captured the bronze medal with an 8-1 record at the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan.

Since first fielding a USA Basketball team of legendary NBA stars in 1992, USA Basketball senior national teams comprised of NBA players have claimed gold medals in 10 of 13 major international basketball competitions, while compiling an impressive 100-7 overall record (.935 winning percentage) in those international competitions and a record of 33-1 (.971 winning percentage) in exhibition games.