Boomers pooled with USA in Rio

The Australian Boomers and Opals have managed favourable draws for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

At the official draw conducted by FIBA in Switzerland, the Boomers will also face Venezuela, China and two teams yet to secure a place via the upcoming Olympic Qualifying Tournaments in Pool A. In Pool B, European heavyweights Spain and Lithuania were grouped with hosts Brazil, Argentina and Nigeria and one place yet to be filled. It is a favourable outcome for the Boomers, avoiding the best teams in Europe and South America.

In the women's draw, the Australian Opals were drawn with hosts Brazil and Japan with three places yet to be determined. Brazil are sure to prove a challenge in front of their home crowd, however the Opals and head coach Brendan Joyce are likely to be happy with their group and confident of progressing as one of the top 2 teams.

Both men's and women's tournaments open with a Group Phase played in a round robin format where each team faces the other five in their pool commencing from 6 August 2016. The top four teams from each group will then move on to the Final Phase which will be played in a standard knock-out system consisting of Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals, Bronze Medal Game and Gold Medal Game.

Full FIBA Draw and Schedule