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SITE: Sao Paulo, Brazil.
ARENAS: Ibirapuera and Barueri
DATES: September 12-23, 2006.
GOLD MEDAL GAME: September 23
DRAW TO DETERMINE THE FIRST ROUND POOLS: January
31, Sao Paulo, Brazil
COUNTRIES QUALIFYING FOR THE 2006
FIBA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP:
- Argentina (Americas Zone #4)
- Australia (Oceania Zone #1)
- Brazil (Host Country and Americas Zone #2)
- Canada (Americas Zone #3)
- China (Asia Zone #1)
- Cuba (Americas Zone #1)
- Czech Republic (European Zone #1)
- France (European Zone #5)
- Lithuania (European Zone #4)
- Nigeria (Africa Zone #1)
- Russia (European Zone #2)
- Senegal (Africa Zone #2)
- South Korea (Asia Zone #2)
- Spain (European Zone #3)
- Taiwan (Asia Zone #3)
- United States (Olympic Champion)
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All-Time FIBA World Championship Medal Count
|
|
|
|
Gold |
Silver |
Bronze |
| United States |
7
|
1
|
1
|
| Soviet Union |
6
|
2
|
0
|
| Brazil |
1
|
0
|
1
|
| Czechoslovakia |
0
|
2
|
4
|
| Russia |
0
|
2
|
0
|
| South Korea |
0
|
2
|
0
|
| Bulgaria |
0
|
1
|
1
|
| China |
0
|
1
|
1
|
| Chile |
0
|
1
|
0
|
| Japan |
0
|
1
|
0
|
| Yugoslavia |
0
|
1
|
0
|
| Australia |
0
|
0
|
2
|
| Canada |
0
|
0
|
2
|
| France |
0
|
0
|
1
|
| Cuba |
0
|
0
|
1
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Did You Know?
Defending World Champions, the United States captured its record seventh
gold medal, and second straight gold, in China at the 2002 FIBA World
Championship. Lisa Leslie
was named World Championship MVP and she was joined on the five-member
All-FIBA World Championship Team by teammate Shannon
Johnson, as well as Russia's Elena Baranova,
Australia's Lauren Jackson and Spain's Amaya Valdemoro.
Did You Know?:
The World Championship has been ronze against Lithuania and France downed Latvia
in the fifth place game to secure Europe's fifth and final spot. Also
among the pack for ‘06 are Australia, which won the best of three
series against New Zealand for the lone FIBA Oceania spot; as well as
China, South Korea and Taiwan, which took gold, silver and bronze, respectively,
in the 2005 FIBA Asia Championship. Cuba, Canada and Argentina will represent
FIBA Americas after finishing with the gold, bronze and in fourth place,
respectively, at the 2005 Tournament of the Americas. Brazil, which already
qualified by virtue of playing host to the ‘06 Worlds, took silver.
The final two teams were decided at the 2005 FIBA Africa Championship
as gold medalist Nigeria and silver medalist Senegal round out the field
of 16.
How Does it Work?
The 15th FIBA World Championship format will feature a round-robin competition
in preliminary round play. The top three teams from each preliminary group
advance to form two second round groups consisting of six teams each.
Each team's results from its preliminary group carries over to the second
round standings and each team will play the other three teams in the second
round group whom they have not faced previously. The top four teams from
those two groups will advance on to the medal round and the gold medal
game will be played Sept. 23.
Good Hosts
2006 will mark Brazil's fourth time hosting the FIBA World Championship
after Rio de Janeiro played host in 1957 and Sao Paulo was the site for
the 1971 and 1983 Worlds. In all, the United States had mixed success
when playing a World Championship in Brazil. The 1957 squad took home
the gold with an 8-1 slate, in 1971 the U.S. finished in eighth place
with a 6-2 record and in 1983 the USA squad again went 6-2, but returned
with the silver medal.
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