2012 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women Gets Underway

The 12 teams’ bid to grab a ticket to London starts today as the 2012 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women gets underway in Ankara, Turkey.

Host Turkey, Puerto Rico, Japan, Argentina, Czech Republic, New Zealand, Croatia, Korea, Mozambique, Canada, France, and Mali, will start their campaign to grab one of the five slots at stake for the 2012 London Olympics.

Bannered by their frontcourt duo of Quanitra Hollingsworth and Nevriye Yilmaz, Turkey is pitted to top Group A, but Japan and Puerto Rico are both capable of pulling of surprises based on their recent performances in test games.

Czech Republic, on the other hand, are the overwhelming favorite to top Group B unless they perform like they did in their blowout defeat against Great Britain recently. The second spot will be a tossup between New Zealand and Argentina.

Meanwhile, Group C is unpredictable as Croatia, Mozambique, and Korea are expected to give each other a run for their money.

A third-place finish in Group C would mean elimination, while a second-place finish would give them a touch quarterfinal matchup against powerhouse France, who are expected to top Group D, which also includes Mali and Canada.

The top two teams in each group will advance to the quarterfinals. The winners in each quarterfinal pairing will advance to the semifinals and will automatically clinch a spot in the London Games. The four losing quarterfinalists will fight for the fifth and final Olympic slot.

The 2012 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women will run from June 25 to July 1 in Ankara, Turkey.