China's men's basketball team has a mountain to climb at the Beijing Games, Chinese Basketball Association president Li Yuanwei commented after the match-ups were announced for the Olympics.
Houston Rockets Yao Ming, of China, stands on the court with his foot in a boot prior to the start of Game 4 of the NBA basketball playoff series Saturday, April 26, 2008, in Salt Lake City. [Agencies] |
The national team will face the Kobe Bryant-led United States on Aug 10 in Group B, which also includes world champion Spain, African title-holders Angola and two qualifiers yet to be named, the International Basketball Association (FIBA) announced at the Wukesong Indoor Arena on Saturday.
"This is a really, really tough group," Li told sina.com. "China will have the biggest challenge ever because there are two super powerhouses, the very athletic African champion and two `X-factors', as we don't even know who they are right now."
Featuring NBA all-star center Yao Ming and rookie Yi Jianlian, China is expected to make a top six finish at the Games, beginning Aug 8.
Greece, Germany, Brazil and Canada will take their best shots at the men's qualifying tournament on July 14-20 in Athens, with Slovenia, Croatia, New Zealand and Puerto Rico fighting for berths as well. Two of the three qualifiers will join Group B.
In a poll conducted by Sina.com, 57 percent of respondents thought China would be unlikely to realize its Olympic goal because the result of the draw is "very bad news for China".
Basketball has recently become China's most popular sport, with support from an estimated 350 million fans, but aside from an eighth-place finish at the Athens Games four years ago it has not performed well on the international stage.
Even so, Li said China should make good use of the days leading up to the Games, rather than complaining about the unfavorable draw.
"No matter which team we play against, we have to improve ourselves first," he said. "You cannot always expect a good draw. We have to keep our feet on the ground and try to make the best possible preparation for the Olympics."
In the women's draw, China was lumped with the US, New Zealand and Mali in Group B, as South Korea, Australia and Russia make up Group A. Five other qualifiers will be determined at a qualifying tournament in Spain, in June.
China's Australian coach Tom Maher said the draw was "satisfactory" for his side, which beat Team USA 84-81 at the Beijing International Invitational on Saturday. It was the first time a Chinese women's team had ever beaten the US.
"I am satisfied with the draw, I am also satisfied with China's opponents," he told Sohu.com afterward.
China's women's team, which finished ninth at the Athens Games, beat Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Cuba and the US en route to win the title at the warm-up event last week.
"It's wonderful to beat the US. It's a good thing for morale, giving us belief that we can play against top teams," Maher said.
The Olympic basketball tournament will run from Aug 9-24.
