Gold Coast 2018 has confirmed the pool stage line-up for the men’s and women’s basketball competitions at next year’s Commonwealth Games.
The Australian Boomers, the national men’s team, would be based in Cairns as they contest Pool A competition. They will meet fellow top seeds Nigeria, New Zealand and Canada in the Cairns Convention Centre, while the lowest ranked four nations feature in Pool B.
England, Cameroon, India and Scotland will compete at the Townsville Entertainment and Convention Centre, the second basketball venue.
The top two teams in Pool A will proceed directly to the semi-final stage of the competition, while the bottom sides will face the two qualifiers from Pool B in a qualifying final.
The winner of the qualifying final will then advance to the semi-final and medal matches on the Gold Coast from April 13 and 15.
Women’s competition will follow the same format, with Australia, Canada, England and Mozambique the top ranked teams.
They will meet in Pool A in Townsville, while New Zealand, Jamaica, India and Malaysia will contest Pool B in Cairns. The seedings and pools were announced by Gold Coast 2018 in conjunction with the International Basketball Federation and the Commonwealth Games Federation.
“It’s really exciting for the people of North Queensland, especially the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, to have the opportunity to witness international basketball in their own backyard,” said Gold Coast 2018 ambassador and NBA player Patty Mills.
“Unfortunately I can’t be part of the action during the Games due to my NBA commitments but I know the Australian men’s and women’s teams are going to be bursting with pride to represent their country on home soil.”
“It’s an exciting time for basketball in Australia and I’m sure the people of North Queensland are going to make the most of this rare opportunity.”
The complete match schedule for preliminary competition is expected to be confirmed in the coming weeks.