Who came up with this crazy idea?
Host nation, the French women's basketball team is obviously already qualified for the next Olympic Games.
Yet here she is, competing this week in a qualifying tournament (TQO) to determine who will be on the starting line in Villeneuve d'Asq on July 27.
This initiative does not come from the French federation.
The bad idea comes from FIBA, the international federation, which is organizing 4 tournaments this week involving 16 teams.
In a few days, we will know the Games field, knowing that the United States, world champions, and France are already qualified.
To further emphasize the "anything goes", FIBA decided to send the Blues in the middle of the season to the other side of the world, to Xi'an in the center of China.
However, there is a TQO in Antwerp, Belgium in which the Americans are participating and another in Sopron, Hungary, a few hours by train from Paris.
It would have been simpler, economical and ecological to send the French women there.
Except for FIBA which will think about the carbon footprint another day.
The collective 🤝#PassionnémentBleu |
#FIBAOQT pic.twitter.com/02ASJrfb5g
— French Basketball Teams (@FRABasketball) February 7, 2024
Absurd, participation in this tournament is however not without interest for coach Jean Aimé Toupane.
“It’s a good dress rehearsal.
It's a bit as if it was the start of summer preparation, that we were going to take a break, and then meet again in a few months.
We are lucky to have no pressure in this tournament, the only challenge is to prepare, we might as well take advantage of it,” confides the coach.
Above all, he is taking advantage of this distant stay to strengthen the cohesion of a group shaken last spring by the “Johannes affair”, the Norman from Asvel who had not played in the Euro to favor her career in the WNBA.
The story is in the past and Johannes is back.
“I'm just super excited to get back with everyone and now I want everyone to move on.
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In China, Toupane has a group of 12 players, most of whom will be at the Games next summer.
Injured when the selection was announced, Sandrine Gruda could be one of those who will join the group during the preparation camp on June 6.
“The desire was to make the best team of the moment, taking into account the injuries and the state of form of the current season,” estimates Toupane.
We wanted to put together a team to work with, which would obviously resemble the group that will be called up at the start of preparation this summer.
Winning every match is the best way to prepare for the Games”
In China, the French will play 3 matches: against Puerto Rico (Thursday February 8, 9:30 a.m. on the DAZN platform), China (February 10, 9:30 a.m.) and New Zealand (February 11, 9:30 a.m.).