Serbian Basketball Champions Will Help Launch London’s Olympic Park Venue
Team GB will welcome six national men’s basketball teams at a dress rehearsal for next summer’s big event. With one year to go before the curtain goes up on the London 2012 Olympics, basketball fans from Serbia and Croatia will get a first-look at the facilities.
With the paint hardly dry on the spanking new Olympic Basketball Arena, tickets for the London International Basketball Invitational (16-21 August) go on sale on 26 May. In what promises to be more than a practice run, teams from Australia, China, Croatia, France, Great Britain and Serbia will compete in the first event at any London 2012 Olympic Park venue.
In matches that will have fans rushing for tickets when they go on sale this week, Serbia will face Croatia at the London 2012 Olympics basketball venue on 16 August, Croatia will play Great Britain on 17 August, and then Serbia will meet Great Britain on 18 August.
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| London 2012 Olympic Basketball Arena |
The London International Basketball Invitational at the impressive new Olympic Basketball Arena will provide an opportunity to visit the Park less than a year before the Games. The Arena is one of the largest temporary venues ever built for an Olympic Games. The tournament, to be hosted by the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG), is part of an Olympic testing programme, London Prepares, allowing organisers to test crucial aspects of its operations.
Ten thousand volunteers, 8,000 athletes from more than 50 countries and 250,000 sports fans will take part in the 12-month London Prepares rehearsal. More than 150,000 tickets will go on sale for the 25 Locog invitational events (basketball, beach volleyball and BMX and mountain biking), in addition to 17 international events already in the diary.
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| Serbian National Team 2010 |
In addition to the practice run, a benefit of the tournament will be as a warm-up for Team GB before the European Championships in September. Other nations can use it to get up a head of steam in advance of their own Olympic qualifying games. No such pressure for Team GB, who automatically qualify as host of the Games.
Great Britain last played in an Olympic Games basketball tournament at London 1948. Team GB’s current basketball team, combining players and efforts from the home nations’ own basketball organisations, was formed in 2005 in the wake of the successful Olympic bid. Most recently, Team GB has impressed, qualifying top of its group for EuroBasket 2011, to take place in Lithuania on 31 August-18 September. While they do not need to qualify for the London 2012 Olympics, all eyes are on Team GB.
There will be three games daily: 3.30pm, 6pm and 8.30pm. Day tickets will allow access to all three games. Tickets go on sale from 10am on 26 May via Ticketmaster, priced at £5-£35 (concessions for children aged 16 and under and adults aged 60 and over). See London 2012 for event and travel details.
| > Date | >Time | >Home | >Away |
| >Tues 16 August | >15:30 | >Australia | >China |
| >Tues 16 August | >18:00 | >Serbia | >Croatia |
| >Tue 16 August | >20:30 | >Great Britain | >France |
| >Weds 17 August | >15:30 | >China | >Serbia |
| >Weds 17 August | >18:00 | >France | >Australia |
| >Weds 17 August | >20:30 | >Croatia | >Great Britain |
| >Thurs 18 August | >15:30 | >France | >China |
| >Thurs 18 August | >18:00 | >Australia | >Croatia |
| >Thurs 18 August | >20:30 | >Serbia | >Great Britain |
| >Sat 20 August | >15:30 | >Croatia | >France |
| >Sat 20 August | >18:00 | >Great Britain | >China |
| >Sat 20 August | >20:30 | >Serbia | >Australia |
| >Sun 21 August | >15:30 | >China | >Croatia |
| >Sun 21 August | >18:00 | >Australia | >Great Britain |
| >Sun 21 August | >20:30 | >France | >Serbia |
8 / 30 / 2011 6:19 pm
Hey thanks a lot for sharing the information…
By the way check out the total information about the European Basketball Championship 2011,like rosters, teams, Eurobasket 2011 schedule, Dates, Fixtures, Eurobasket 2011 Rosters , Players, Eurobasket 2011 results and more from here Eurobasket 2011 .
8 / 31 / 2011 9:46 am
Thanks for adding those useful links, Web Dagger.