The Spanish Basketball Team Faces Major Challenge in Pre-Olympic Tournaments
The Spanish basketball team will face a significant challenge in the upcoming Pre-Olympic tournaments, starting on Tuesday. Only the winners of each tournament will secure the last Olympic tickets. Spain will have the advantage of playing in front of its fans at the Fuente de San Luis, but past precedents suggest caution.
Pre-Olympic tournaments were held before the Rio and Tokyo Games, with three held in 2016 and four in 2021. However, only one host team, Serbia, managed to qualify for the Games in 2016. Italy and the Philippines were left out.
Before the 2021 Games, three host teams failed to qualify for the Olympics, despite playing in front of their fans. Canada, Croatia, Lithuania, and Serbia itself did not get an Olympic place. The Canadians and Croatians lost in the semifinals to the Czech Republic and Germany, respectively, while the Lithuanians and Serbians were defeated in the final against Slovenia and Italy.
The danger of such a short tournament, with only four games, is clear. There is hardly any room for error. Spain will face Lebanon and Angola in the first phase, followed by potential opponents like Poland, Finland without Lauri Markkanen, and the Bahamas filled with players from the NBA.
Bad experiences as hosts add to the Spanish team’s woes. At the 2014 World Cup, despite having one of the best teams in its history, Spain lost to France in the quarterfinals. In the 2007 Eurobasket, Spain took home a silver medal that tasted like disappointment after losing to Russia in the final. The 1992 Games were also marked by a shameful defeat against Angola.
However, among the positive memories is the 2008 Pre-Olympic tournament, which Spain won at the Madrid Arena, securing a place at the Beijing Games. The current president of the Spanish Basketball Federation, Elisa Aguilar, participated in those games and will now find herself in a similar situation. The dream of being in Paris is to overcome the pressure of winning at home, and past precedents suggest it will not be easy.
