Team USA Profile - 2010 FIBA World Championship Michael Jordan This summer, LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh were focused on their NBA free agent status and will be staying at home. After playing in three straight NBA Finals, an injured Kobe Bryant (broken finger, right knee injury) will take the entire summer to recover. For various reasons, other former Olympians such as Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul will not go to Turkey. Therefore, USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski will be counting on a new and exciting generation of rising stars (Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook and Andre Iguodala) and some savvy veterans (Chauncey Billups and Lamar Odom) to get the job done in Istanbul. “I'm predicting that we would have a lot of young guys”, said USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo. “But we have a very deep roster. We will see who shows up. There will be a number of them who might not play because of free agency and personal issues. There could be five or six from the Olympic team that won't be there.

We're prepared for that.” Actually, all eight core members of the team that won a gold medal in the 2008 Olympics have informed USA Basketball they have decided to skip this summer’s tournament in Turkey. Despite these absences, coach K is still truly optimistic. “I'm really excited about the players who were selected and who committed to be a part of the 2010-12 USA National Team.” In 2005, Team USA initiated its historic men’s National Team programme and in 2008 it culminated with a gold medal run in Beijing, the USA’s first gold in a major international competition since 2000. Between 2006 and 2008, the USA compiled an unbelievable and rather striking 36-1 overall record. Yet, the USA finished only third in the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan and have not won the event since 1994 in Toronto. Despite this, USA National Teams have compiled an overall 105-27 record in FIBA World Championship history and had mixed results in the competition.

The Americans have won 10 medals in all – three gold (1954, 1986 and 1994), three silver (1950, 1959 and 1982) and four bronze (1974, 1990, 1998 and 2006). This summer, Jerry Colangelo believes Team USA has to show respect by taking the event more seriously than they have in the past. “We know that this is the most important basketball competition in international basketball and it needs to be respected accordingly.” Despite being without their biggest stars, the USA still have a long and multi-talented core of players. Durant is a former NBA Rookie of the Year and won the league’s scoring title last year. Rose is also a recipient of the Rookie of the Year award and, like Durant, a superstar in the making. Krzyzewski will also have some valuable experience and proven winners at his disposal with former NBA champion and Finals MVP Billups, Boston Celtics star guard Rajon Rondo as well as versatile forward Odom, who has helped the Los Angeles Lakers to consecutive championships these past two years.

Other national teams like Spain will have to think long and hard about how they are going to get more size and athleticism to compete against some of the best players from the NBA. If the USA are able to win this year, they will obtain a free ticket for the London Olympics in 2012. That would mean no qualifying round but just a light training camp in the summer of 2011. “This competition is important,” Colangelo added. “This is another important step in the reassembling of the USA National Team for the next three years of competitions.” In 1992, Team USA was called the Dream Team. The 2002 team was a disaster and 2008 was all about redemption. However, one question remains for this superstar’s team: What will they call themselves this summer?

2010 FIBA Basketball World Championship (Sports Business) | Jump Solution 2010 FIBA Basketball World Championship (Sports Business) September 1st, 2012 FOR TWO WEEKS in August and September, 24 national teams will take part in the FIBA World Championships hosted by Turkey, a country where the sport rivals soccer for attention and mindshare among its passionate fans. The tournament has helped reinforce basketball’s standing as a truly universal sport since 1950, but as we await the 16th edition even FIBA, basketball’s world governing body, admits it has yet to fully realise its commercial potential. FIBA’s broadcast rights were sold by the now defunct ISL until 2001, and only in the last eight years, with a strong in-house team, has there been a co-ordinated strategy for the sale of its broadcast and marketing rights. The result is a far healthier product and commercial proposition than ever before. According to FIBA, the most recent cycle of World Championship, Continental Championships and Olympic competitions has seen an unprecedented growth in both the quality and awareness of international basketball.

This year, says FIBA commercial director Matthew Osmon, the World Championships will be taken live or as highlights in 180 countries – comparable to the FIFA World Cup – and will be viewed by an accumulated audience of around one billion, up on the 800 million people which FIBA says watched the 2006 edition in Japan. “We are experiencing strong growth in TV audiences and we are seeing a more than steady growth in our income,” Osmon tells SportBusiness International. “We have done extensive research relating to awareness – and interest in our major competitions is now very strong.

In some markets like Spain, the World Championships are the must-see event ahead of the Olympic Games and NBA finals.” Continue reading this SportBusiness International article here: Jump Solutions – In The Media Seven countries from three continents bid to host FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments : Great Britain Basketball Seven countries from three continents bid to host FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments 2 November 2011 10:06 By FIBA Seven countries from three continents have submitted bids to host the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments (OQT) for Men and Women, serving as further proof of the growing interest in hosting major basketball tournaments. The FIBA OQT for Men will be held in Angola, F.Y.R. of Macedonia, Lithuania or Venezuela (2-8 July), while the Women's Tournament will take place in Argentina, Czech Republic or Turkey (25 June-1 July). For the first time ever, the list of bidders includes countries from outside Europe.

Following the conclusion of the last continental Olympic qualifiers, the National Federations of the 24 countries qualified for the OQTs - 12 for the Men's and 12 for the Women's - were given until 31 October to inform FIBA of their desire to host the respective tournaments. The FIBA Central Board will decide on both organisers of the OQTs during its board meeting to be held on 10-11 December in Madrid, Spain. Angola, who this past summer failed to win Afrobasket for the first time since 1997, finished runners-up to grab one of the two African OQT places. They have hosted Afrobasket on three occasions, the last of which came in 2007. The country has never hosted a worldwide FIBA Event. F.Y.R. of Macedonia, who finished fourth at EuroBasket 2011, are bidding to host the first major basketball event in their history. However, they have held two European youth tournaments in 2011, the U20 European Championship for Women and the U16 European Championship Division B for Men.

Lithuania hosted EuroBasket 2011, where they finished fifth, grabbing one of the four OQT places attributed to Europe. In recent years, they have shown a strong desire to host international basketball tournaments, having welcomed the 2010 U18 European Championship for Men and are set to host their first worldwide event in 2012 with the second edition of the FIBA U17 World Championship. Venezuela secured the last of FIBA Americas' three OQT places by coming in fifth in Mar del Plata. Having never organised a worldwide FIBA Championship, they did however host the 2006 South American Championship for Men and the 2000 Americas U18 Championship for Men. Argentina's women finished runners-up at the FIBA Americas Championship for Women in Columbia last month. The country hosted the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship for Men. Argentina was the host of the FIBA World Championship for Men in 1950 and 1990 but have never organised a worldwide women's FIBA event. Turkey claimed an impressive silver medal at EuroBasket Women 2011.

After having successfully hosted the 2010 FIBA World Championship and attributed the hosting duties for the 2014 FIBA World Championship for Women, the country's strong desire to organise major tournaments is backed by the rapid growth of the game domestically. The Czech Republic finished fourth at EuroBasket Women 2011, a year after taking second place at the 2010 FIBA World Championship, which they hosted with great success. The Czechs were also the organisers of EuroBasket Women in 1995. The 2012 edition will take place 2-8 July. The top two teams from each group will progress to the Quarter-Finals. The two winning Semi-Finalists will qualify for London alongside the winner of the third- place playoff. The 12 teams that will compete in the 2012 OQT are: Angola, Dominican Republic, F.Y.R. of Macedonia, Greece, Jordan, Korea, Lithuania, New Zealand, Nigeria, Puerto Rico, Russia and Venezuela. The 2012 OQT for Women will be played 25 June-1 July. The 12 teams will be divided into four groups of three teams.

The top two teams from each group will progress to the Quarter-Finals. The four Semi-Finalists and winner of the fifth-place playoff will qualify for London. In 2008, Belarus, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Spain and Latvia took the five spots on offer. The 12 teams that will compete in the 2012 OQT for Women are: Argentina, Canada, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, France, Japan, Korea, Mali, New Zealand, Senegal and Turkey. FIBA World Championship 2010 Turkey - FIBA World Championship 2010 Turkey FIBA World Championship 2010 Turkey The 2010 FIBA World Championship will be hosted by Turkey from August 28 to September 12, 2010. It is co-organized by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) , Turkish Basketball Federation and the 2010 Organizing Committee. It is considered as prestigious a competition as the Olympic Basketball Tournament. FIBA World 2010 on Wikipedia check here . Official FIBA World 2010 website check here .

September 17, 2010 - FIBA launches new nations ranking Following the 2010 FIBA World Championship for Men which concluded last Sunday in Istanbul, Turkey, FIBA have launched a completely new ranking system, the International Basketball Federation announced on Friday. The United States of America (USA) currently rank supreme in all categories, including the new youth rankings for Boys and Girls which have been added in the new system. In the Men's Ranking, Turkey made a huge leap from 18th to sixth after their runners-up finish at the 2010 FIBA World Championship. For the first time ever, the U19 and U17 FIBA World Championships for Boys and Girls as well as all U16 and U18 continental championships weigh in to determine the new FIBA categories for Boys and Girls. Read more here . September 12, 2010 - USA cruise past Turkey to end 16-year wait for World Championship crown The United States of America beat Turkey 81-64 to win the 2010 FIBA World Championship.

The result ended a 16-year wait for the USA, who had not won this tournament since 1994. In the first official game ever between the two teams, Mike Kryzewski’s team gradually pulled away as Turkey looked to be suffering the after effects of their hard-fought win over Lithuania in Saturday’s semi-final. Down 17-14, the Americans reeled off 11 unanswered points in a stretch spanning the late part of the first quarter and early second for a 25-17 advantage and they stayed in front the rest of the way. Read more here . September 12, 2010 - FIBA World Championship All Star Five announced Stars from Argentina, Lithuania, Serbia, Turkey and the USA have been recognised for their outstanding tournaments with the All Star Five for the 2010 FIBA World Championship announced following Sunday's final between Turkey and the USA. The All Star Five is made up of Luis Scola at centre, Linas Kleiza and Kevin Durant as forwards, and Hedo Turkoglu and Milos Teodosic in the guard positions.

The five players, each voted best player in his position by a selection of top basketball media representatives, received their awards on-court during the FIBA World Championship medal ceremony. Read more here . September 12, 2010 - Durant named tournament MVP Team USA's Kevin Durant claimed the Most Valuable Player award at the 2010 FIBA World Championship. Durant had a game-high 28 points in his team's 81-64 triumph over Turkey in the final on Sunday. The 21-year-old power forward won the honour - voted by international media representatives at Istanbul's Sinan Erdem Dome - having averaged 22.1 points and 6.2 rebounds as his team went undefeated in Turkey. Read more here . September 12, 2010 - Lithuania speed past Serbia to collect bronze The speed and shooting of Lithuania has powered it to the bronze medal at the 2010 FIBA World Championship, defeating Serbia 99-88 with an unstoppable performance. While Lithuania were far from favourites at the start of the tournament, they finished with an 8-1 record including victories over Spain, France, New Zealand, Argentina and Serbia.

In the bronze medal game, Linas Kleiza rebounded in fine fashion from his 1/11 shooting performance against the USA to collect 33 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. He was well supported by Mantas Kalnietis (14 points) Simas Jasaitis (14 points), Paulius Jankunas (15 points) and Martynas Pocius. Lithuania shot 12/22 from three point range and outrebounded Serbia 30-24. For Serbia, Novica Velickovic performed strongly with limited opportunities to finish with 18 points. Read more here . September 12, 2010 - FIBA announces most successful Championship ever At the closing press conference of the FIBA World Championship FIBA Secretary General and IOC Member Patrick Baumann told media that this edition had been the most successful in the Championship’s 60 year history. “We are on the point of closing the most successful FIBA World Championship ever,” he said. “I believe that it has been the most competitive tournament ever.

The Turkey v Serbia game last night was an incredible show of spirit and performance.” TV figures show that an expected 1 billion people in nearly 200 countries watched the games. Overall TV exceeded both those of the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan and 2009 EuroBasket in Poland. Read more here . September 12, 2010 - Class of 2010 enshrined in FIBA Hall of Fame Sixteen legendary basketball personalities hailing from 12 different countries were inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame in Istanbul on Sunday. The 2010 Class includes seven players and three coaches who combined for 14 Olympic medals and 15 FIBA World Championship medals. National icons Oscar Schmidt, Vlade Divac, Arvydas Sabonis and Cheryl Miller headline the group of players, which also includes Dragan Kicanovic, Dino Meneghin and Natalia Zassoulskaya. Lindsay Gaze, Mirko Novosel and Evgeny Gomelsky are enshrined as coaches. Read more here .

September 12, 2010 - Last day preview When Turkey was awarded the 2010 FIBA World Championship several years ago, every fan from Istanbul to Ankara to Kayseri to Istanbul and everywhere else in this beautiful country hoped for one thing and one thing only. They wanted a Final between Turkey and the United States. Well, they’ve got that wanted. After the United States' 89-74 win over Lithuania on Saturday night, and Turkey's heart-stopping 83-82 victory over Serbia, the World Championship has a title game to savor. It will be a battle of unbeatens and it promises to be exciting. Turkey coach Bogdan Tanjevic, despite coaching the home team, says the United States are favorites. Read more here . September 12, 2010 - Team of friends closes on title The thrilling end to the Turkey v Serbia game amazingly saw two lay-ups as the final pair of baskets despite the intense defence that had lasted for all 40 minutes. Many would think getting such relatively easy baskets at the end of the game must be a result of ingenious coaching, but Turkey head man Bogdan Tanjevic disagrees. “Plan?

You think there was a plan?” he joked at the post game press conference. “There was nothing. There was luck. We were planning to score!” he continued. Point guard and match-winner Kerem Tunceri confirmed his boss’ words. “There was definitely no plan. We had two players we wanted to get the ball.” It is now a matter of Turkish legend that they got the ball to Hedo Turkoglu, who fumbled possession before Tunceri pounced and scored the winning lay-up unopposed with 0.5 seconds remaining. Read more here . September 11, 2010 - Semi-Finals Saturday It's been four, long years since United States coach Mike Krzyzewski and his star-studded squad lost to Greece in the Semi-Finals of the FIBA World Championship in Japan, a result that sparked celebrations in the streets of Athens. It was also the day that Argentina almost beat Spain but an Andres Nocioni three-pointer from the corner hit the rim and stayed out. You know the rest of the story.

Pau Gasol, hurt late in the Argentina game, missed the Final but his Spain teammates, wearing t-shirts that read 'Pau tambien juega', thrashed Greece in the gold-medal game and the USA overcame Argentina to capture bronze. Read more here . September 11, 2010 - What’s The Point? Neither Slovenia, nor Russia had a chance to win a medal on Saturday. There was only pride to play for in what could best be described as a near-empty Sinan Erdem Dome. It was the battle for seventh place. It certainly didn’t bring the best out of either side. After a long, hard summer and tough games at the FIBA World Championship, the Slovenians and Russians had to play a Classification Round game. In the first quarter, when Slovenia’s Bostjan Nachbar slammed a water bottle to the court after being pulled out of the game by his coach Memi Becirovic, and the liquid spread all over the court to force a delay while ball-boys mopped up the mess, the player looked as if he’d had enough. Read more here .

September 11, 2010 - FIBA and Spain National Tourism Board team up for 2014 FIBA World Championship FIBA and Spain’s National Tourism Board on Saturday announced a major new sponsorship deal to ensure that the Iberian nation becomes the focus of the world in the lead-up to its hosting of the 2014 FIBA World Championship. The 2010 edition of FIBA’s flagship event is drawing to a very successful close in Turkey, having attracted basketball enthusiasts from all around the world, with an estimated 30 percent of tickets purchased outside the host country. With that in mind, FIBA is setting the bar higher for 2014, expecting more than 300,000 spectators to attend the games in the six cities – Barcelona, Bilbao, Granada, Gran Canaria, Madrid and Seville – with some 30 million visitors to the websites and 1 billion following all the action on television. Read more here . September 10, 2010 - Bang the drums – Lithuania are back! There is nothing so dangerous as a wounded lion. You’ve heard that one before.

Lithuania were a wounded lion in the build-up to the 2010 FIBA World Championship. Remember last year when they won just once at EuroBasket 2009 in Poland? Remember the injuries and international retirements that kept others out of this year’s squad? None of it mattered in the end, not when you watched Lithuania utterly annihilate Argentina – the number one team in the FIBA World Rankings – on Thursday night. Going up against a side that had Luis Scola, a strong candidate for MVP honors at the event, Lithuania turned in one of the best efforts in their long and famous history, winning 104-85. Read more here . September 9, 2010 - It’s Americas v Europe on Quarter-Final Day 2 Europe already has two sides in the Semi-Finals of the FIBA World Championship in Serbia and hosts Turkey. Now two teams that needed wild cards to play at the event - Russia and Lithuania – will try to join them by upsetting Team USA and Argentina. Russia, one of the best and most physical defensive teams in the competition, are on court first against Team USA, available live on FIBATV.com.

The last time these two countries met in a FIBA World Championship was 1998, the year the NBA lockout prevented America's first-choice squad from travelling to Greece. Read more here . September 8, 2010 - Now the hunt for Final Four places begins If you’re still trying to digest the 40 minutes of dazzling, gritty, out-of-this-world basketball served up by Argentina and Brazil on Tuesday night in Turkey, we’ve got news for you. Argentina’s 93-89 win over their South American rivals was merely an hors d'oeuvre. It’s now time to begin the main course. On Wednesday, it’s Spain v Serbia and then Turkey v Slovenia. First up is a rematch of last year’s EuroBasket Final. Spain, led by EuroBasket 2009 MVP Pau Gasol and Rudy Fernandez, destroyed the Serbians in Katowice 85-63 on September 20 but that was then, and this is now. At the FIBA World Championship this year, Pau’s contributions are being made not in the paint but in the broadcast booth. Read more here .

September 7, 2010 - Turkey’s zone can be beaten: Vucinic Giving up just a fraction over 60ppg, Turkey have been the defensive standouts of the 2010 FIBA World Championship. Their zone in particular has given opposition headaches, but New Zealand coach Nenad Vucinic thinks teams have been attacking it the wrong way. Vucinic has been lauded by coaches around the FIBA World Championship as a mastermind, David Blatt describing the New Zealand offence as “far more sophisticated” than others at the tournament. Read more here . September 6, 2010 - Mainini unanimously elected 11th FIBA President; World Congress ratifies 2010-2014 Central Board Yvan Mainini, the President of the French Basketball Federation (FFBB) since 1992, has been unanimously elected as the 11th FIBA President at the FIBA World Congress in Istanbul, Turkey. “I am flattered by the overwhelming confidence the Congress has shown me in today’s election,” he said.

“I will do everything to justify this confidence and move the sport forward at the same pace as my predecessor.” “Looking ahead, I am determined to work on a harmonised basketball calendar that gives clubs and national teams the exposure they both deserve. “I will also further enhance FIBA’s mission to find new ways of growing the game. FIBA33 is certainly one way but by no means the only one.” Mainini succeeds Bob Elphinston of Australia, who was elected at the 18th FIBA World Congress in Tokyo, Japan in 2006. Read more here . September 6, 2010 - Turkey wins in front soccer national team compatriots The row of turquoise seated in the first row during this evening’s Turkey vs France game was not a line of ball boys, nor were they volunteers or security guards. They were in fact Turkey’s national soccer team who turned up to cheer on their compatriots, who overcame their opponents 95-77.

The team, which includes a number of big stars and which is currently preparing for its European Championship qualifier against Belgium on Wednesday, was given courtside seats to watch Ilyasova and co triumph over their Eighth-Final opponents, bringing their record to 12 wins from 16. Read more here . September 5, 2010 - Diamantidis announces international retirement Greece basketball icon Dimitris Diamantidis announced after his country’s defeat to Spain at the FIBA World Championship in Turkey that he is retiring from the national team. Diamantidis, widely acknowledged to be the best defensive player in Europe for the past several years, will concentrate on his club career at Panathinaikos. “It’s the end of a long journey that had many beautiful moments, like Belgrade and Japan,” he said on Greek television. “Now the time is for young players to come into the team.” Diamantidis, 30, has been a vital part of the Greek national side since the 2004 Athens Olympics. Read more here .

September 4, 2010 - Fair play is the order of the day in Turkey The 2010 FIBA World Championship is on course to be the cleanest in history with the least number of fouls ever. So far, the average number of fouls by teams per game – 19.7 - is the lowest out of all the tournaments since the first competition in Argentina in 1950 when there was an average of 20.6 committed by teams per game. The host nation Turkey is leading the way in fair play with the least number of fouls per game with an average of 15.6. The FIBA World Championship with most fouls was the 1970 tournament in the then Yugoslavia when there was an average of 29.3 fouls per game. Read more here . September 3, 2010 - Thrills and spills expected - It's time for the Eight-Finals! Preliminary Round play at the FIBA World Championship is over. If many of those games had buzzer-beaters and unexpected twists and turns, you ain’t seen nothing yet.

The FIBA World Championship has said good-bye to eight teams and what’s left are a sensational and very, very sweet 16. Team USA, Turkey and Lithuania are undefeated while Serbia, Argentina, Slovenia and Russia each have just one setback. However, no matter who is playing who, expect the unexpected. Anything can happen in the Eight-Finals. Read more here . September 2, 2010 - Bourousis and Tanjevic have a heated tete-a-tete After the end of Greece-Russia game and Russia's win which was "questionable" to say the least, Greek center Bourousis exchanged some heated words with Turkey's coach Bogdan Tanjevic. There was much speculation as to whether Greece and Russia would want to win today's game (loser would probably avoid Spain and USA in the next rounds) and that sparked some tension between many sides. But let's get more specific. Everything started after the final whistle of the game which found Russians as the winners. Read more here . September 2, 2010 - All business for father and son There are the Lorbek brothers, the Dragic brothers and the Udrih brothers.

Over the years, it hasn’t been uncommon to see brothers wearing the Slovenia shirt in the same team. There are no brother combinations in this year's squad at the FIBA World Championship in Istanbul, but there is a father-son combo. When Jure Zdovc stepped down as coach before the end of last year, Slovenia turned to veteran coach Memi Becirovic. He is the father of long-time Slovenia international guard Sani Becirovic. Sani, 29, had to take a break from national team duty last year to rest a long-standing knee injury but he's back and now hearing orders from his dad. Read more here . September 2, 2010 - Foreign journalists impressed by Turkish spectators Members of the media from around the world have been in Ankara for the past week to cover Group C of the 2010 FIBA World Championship and will leave with great memories of their time here. Here is a selection of opinions the journalists shared on the level of play, Turkey’s performance on the court and as hosts. Read more here .

September 1, 2010 - FIBA and UNECE Launch Road Safety Campaign The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and have launched a new information campaign on road safety to coincide with the 2010 FIBA World Championship. The campaign carries the motto “We play and drive by the rules” and has been developed to inform people around the world – especially the young people who are basketball fans or play basketball themselves – and to encourage respect for the rules, on the road as well as on the court. Every year some 1.3 million people die as a result of road traffic crashes worldwide – amounting to more than 3,500 deaths each day. More than half of the casualties are pedestrians, cyclists or other road users not traveling in a car. Read more here . August 31, 2010 - Blatt to call it a day with Russia after Turkey Russia coach David Blatt made the surprise announcement after leading his side to victory over Ivory Coast on Tuesday that this summer will be his last with the national team.

Following Russia’s 72-66 win over the African country, Blatt said: “I have been coaching the same national team for six years, now. I gave it all my heart. “Unfortunately, now I feel that the politics of Russian basketball is very bad and I am tired of it. “I have had enough. “I just don’t want to coach the national team anymore.” Blatt, despite the absence of Utah Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko and point guard JR Holden, and an injury to Viktor Khryapa, has led the national side to two wins in three games in Group C of the FIBA World Championship. The American-born Israeli was in June appointed as coach of European giants Maccabi Tel Aviv for the second time. Read more here . August 31, 2010 - Team USA puts sport before politics on eve of Iran clash Team USA has extended a hand of friendship to its Iranian rivals before tomorrow’s 2010 FIBA World Championship game despite the political tensions between the two countries. The Group B leaders insist the diplomatic rivalry between the nations will have no bearing on the match at Istanbul’s Abdi Ipekci Arena.

Forward-Guard Kevin Durant said: “We are just here to play basketball. The political situation is something we cannot control. We have to go and just play the game of basketball.” His sentiments were backed by coach Mike Krzyzewski who said: “It is a sporting event. We have respect for Iran. “I actually played them in the 1970s when I was in the armed forces. I have great feelings for the country. They are sportsmen and so are we and we will have a great game.” Read more here . August 31, 2010 - All eyes on Turkey-Greece derby The game everyone has been eagerly anticipating in Group C will be a must-see as Turkey take on rivals and neighbours Greece on Tuesday night. The two teams enter the contest with perfect records (2-0) and neither side will settle for anything less than a win. The result of this game is likely to have a huge bearing on the pool’s final standings. Greece head coach Jonas Kazlauskas tried to downplay the rivalry and the importance of the derby to put the focus back where he felt it belongs – on the fixture being just one of five in his team’s march to the next round.

“I understand the importance of the games between Greece and Turkey. It is like the games we had between Lithuania and Russia,” he said. “But at the same time it’s one game.” Kazlauskas’s words though will fall on deaf ears among the Turkish supporters. Read more here . August 30, 2010 - Not up for debate – World Championship the toughest competition of all Just two day into the FIBA World Championship and one thing is crystal clear. The 24-team FIBA World Championship is the hardest, most competitive international event around. The numbers don’t lie. With twice as many national sides as an Olympic Games and some heart-stopping games already that haven't been decided until the final seconds, including double overtime in some cases, this year's tournament in Turkey is already on the way to becoming the greatest basketball competition of all time. Consider the play in Group A so far. This is not the venue for those who are trying to quit the habit of nail-biting. Australia, Germany and Argentina are at the head of the queue of teams involving close games. On opening night, the Aussies were in danger of being upset by Jordan but snatched victory from the jaws of defeat and won by a single point.

Read more here . August 30, 2010 - FIBA announces largest-ever drugs-testing programme FIBA, the world governing body of basketball, today announced the largest-ever doping programme of players in its history. The organisation has carried out 48 random tests in the first two days of the 2010 FIBA World Championship, testing two players from each of the competing 24 teams. It is planning to carry out at least another 60, meaning more than 100 will be carried out across the 80 games of the tournament. Patrick Baumann, Secretary-General of FIBA, said: "This is a record in FIBA history and it shows our commitment to fight drug-taking and keep this game as clean as it always has been and hopefully always will be. "We hope that we can banish the myth that some teams are not tested. Everybody is treated exactly the same and there are no exceptions." Read more here .

August 30, 2010 - Towers of Power If the 2010 FIBA World Championship is going to be remembered introducing a new generation of international stars in the game, then everyone should pay attention to Monday's first Group B clash at the Abdi Ipekci. Two true giants will meet when Croatia's 7ft 2in Ante Tomic goes up against Slovenia's 6ft 10in Gasper Vidmar. While Tomic has already established himself as number one center in the Croatia line-up and is their ‘go-to guy’, Vidmar is still a back-up to Primoz Brezec. But in the very near future, the muscular dunking machine from Ljubljana is going to be one of the main men in the Slovenia team. He slammed and jammed his way to 10 points against the United States on Sunday in the 99-77 defeat to the Americans. Vidmar had done the same on Saturday against Tunisia when he had 15 points in Slovenia’s 80-56 victory. Read more here .

August 29, 2010 - Basketball wins big on first day in Turkey The opening day of the FIBA World Championship was a huge success. That was the message from FIBA Secretary General and IOC member Patrick Baumann, who held his daily briefing with the media in Istanbul shortly before Sunday's game between the United States and Slovenia. Baumann cited the competitiveness of the games and also recognized some of the youngsters that made stunning debuts with their senior teams, including France's electric guard Andrew Albicy and Team USA's Eric Gordon. "It's going to be a very open championship," Baumann said. "We had six game within the 10-point range. "As predicted, there are many teams with a chances to win medal." Read more here . August 28, 2010 - FIBA appeals commission dismissed the appeal FIBA, the world governing body of basketball, announces that an appeal by Greek players Antonis Fotsis and Sofoklis Schortsanitis, against suspension, has been dismissed by the FIBA Appeal Commission this afternoon. The players were suspended by FIBA after recent fighting between the Greece and Serbia national teams at a friendly tournament in Greece.

The players are suspended for two games in main official FIBA competitions. Read more here . August 28, 2010 - Blatt: “I Am Very Disappointed With Those Players” Russia National Team’s head coach David Blatt has given an interview to us pre 2010 FIBA World Championship about the team, his past, the recent brawl and the championship. David Blatt started his basketball career as a player in College Basketball. After his college days he went to play Israel. Blatt said, “I wanted to continue playing after college and I wasn’t good enough for NBA. When I found the chance to play in Israel I took that chance and I had 13 great years till I got injured”. “After the injury I became the assistant coach of Israeli National Team. When I left Israel I started coaching Dynamo St.Petersburg. That’s where Russians learned my name and I became the head coach of Russia.” Read more here . August 28, 2010 - Seize the moment: Anderson While some people may look at the team Canada has sent to Turkey as young and inexperienced, the truth is they have been building towards this moment for a long time.

With Canada having not played at a major international tournament since the 2002 FIBA World Championship, many on this team – including Jermaine Anderson, Olu Famutini, Andy Rautins, Jermaine Bucknor and Levon Kendall - have been a part of coach Leo Rautins’ long term plan to get Canada basketball back to the pinnacle. For point guard Anderson, his team’s first game against Lebanon later today (6:00pm local time, 28 August) is a special occasion. “No one on our team has played (at a world championship) except Leo, the coach!” Anderson laughed. “A lot of us have been together for four to six years, and have been just working to get to the Olympics or the World Championships, and this is the first time for all of us who are playing right now. So there is excitement for Canada basketball, we haven’t been in anything since 2002. We are a bit anxious, but we are ready to go.” Read more here .

August 28, 2010 - Maric: Ready to roll Star Australian centre Aleks Maric says he is fit and ready to go for the Boomers first Group A game against Jordan later today (28 August), despite limited preparation threatening to keep him out of the tournament. After finishing his season with Serbian powerhouse Partizan in June, Maric took a well earned break to rest and determine if his body was up to the challenge of the FIBA World Championship. And while this meant Maric came into Boomers camp very late in their preparations, he said he is feeling more ready with every session. It feels better and better each day, he said. I took a two month break after the season, and when I got into the Boomers camp I found it hard to adjust straight away, getting my touch back and playing five on five basketball, but the last couple of days it has felt good. Read more here . August 27, 2010 - New-look USA face strong opposition When a country wins gold at the Olympics and then shows up at the FIBA World Championship two years later with a completely different team, one might think that side is in for a hiding.

After all, most successful national sides are ones that have players who have competed together summer after summer, the ones in which the players have grown up together in the youth teams and then graduated to the senior sides. Well, the United States won the title at the Beijing Games two years ago in 2008 but have travelled to the FIBA World Championship in Turkey with 12 new players. “I think we’re really hungry and we’re really excited to have the opportunity to play for the USA and we want to bring back home the gold,” United States guard Andre Iguodala said. Read more here . August 27, 2010 - All eyes on Lithuania All eyes will be on Lithuania when they face New Zealand in the first game of Group D in Izmir tomorrow (28 August), as the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey comes to life. A long-time power of international basketball, the Lithuanians suffered through a humiliating eleventh placed finish at the 2009 Eurobasket, and only have a chance to redeem themselves in Turkey via a FIBA wildcard.

While some people think this relatively inexperienced Lithuanian team is vulnerable, New Zealand coach Nenad Vucinic is buying none of it. On paper, they dont have as tough a players as they used to, but those tough players in the past had to start somewhere as well. August 27, 2010 - Watch Opening Ceremony Live The countdown is on at the FIBA World Championship in Turkey with 12 exciting games to be played in four different cities on Saturday, the 28th of August. Before the 24 teams go into battle, the Opening Ceremony will take place at the Sinan Erdem Arena in Istanbul and the entire show can be watched on FIBATV.com. While there will be highlights and interviews available at no cost on FIBATV.com, Friday evening’s ceremony will be the only live event shown in full length free of charge. If you want to catch all of the action from Turkey in Kayseri, Izmir, Ankara and Istanbul, there is still time to subscribe and even at reduced rates. FIBATV.com is the place where you need to be to watch what promises to be the greatest international basketball event of all time.

August 27, 2010 - Scola and Prigioni confident one day before the FIBA World Championship Despite the loss of Nocioni, both Scola and Prigioni think that the team will play the same way since the players in that position are playing a high level before this tournament. “Looking at my teammates playing at a high level, we face this loss with guarantees,” said Pablo Prigioni who plays for Real Madrid in Spain. “Marcos Mata gives us a lot of variety to cover the small forward position.” The guard is also looking at Germany, their first opponent in the FIBA World Championship, who comes without stars but with strong team play. “The Germans, event without their stars, are a good team. They play seriously by following their system. Their team basketball and evolution of their young players has been seen over the years.” Read more here . August 27, 2010 - No clear favorites in Turkey The last grains of sand are falling to the bottom of the hour glass. The 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey is about to tip off.

Twenty-four teams have come from Africa, the Americas, Asia, Oceania and Europe to compete for the biggest prize in international basketball. Not only will the winners take home the gold medal, but they will also qualify for the London 2012 Olympics. Several countries are deemed by most to be serious contenders for the throne in 2010, but the teams causing the biggest stir are the ones that battled it out in the 2008 Olympic final, Team USA and Spain, and this year's hosts Turkey. Read more here . August 27, 2010 - FIBA announces record TV partnerships for 2010 World Championship FIBA announced today that the upcoming basketball World Championship in Turkey will be broadcast in 183 countries, a record number for the tournament. The 80-game competition, which begins this Saturday, will be shown across the world to an audience of more than one billion on terrestrial, satellite and subscription channels. Major broadcasters transmitting the action include ESPN, Fox, Al Jazeera Sport, CCTV, NTV Turkey, Canal+, Viasat, La Sexta and Supersport, which will broadcast 38 free-to-air games in Africa for the first time.

FIBA also today announced a deal with the cable and satellite channel Ten Sports to bring the tournament to the Indian sub-continent for the first time. Patrick Baumann, Secretary-General of FIBA, said: "We are delighted that so many countries are taking coverage from the tournament and that the action will be watched across all five continents. "This level of interest is testament to the global popularity of our game and marks a new landmark in its growth and development. We have agreed deals with a mixture of free-to-air and pay-per-view channels and we believe the coverage will reach more than one billion people. Read more here . August 26, 2010 - FIBA suspends players after tournament brawl FIBA, the world governing body of basketball, today announced that four players are to be suspended, and their national federations fined, after recent fighting at a friendly tournament in Greece. On 19th August, at a game between Greece and Serbia, a fight broke out towards the end of the game involving two players - Antonis Fotsis (GRE) and Milos Teodosic (SRB). This resulted in a wider, violent brawl between several players of both teams. The game was stopped immediately and never resumed.

FIBA started an official investigation after the game and has now announced its findings. Serbian player Nenad Krstic is suspended with immediate effect for three games in main official FIBA competition which include the World Championships, Olympics and Continental Championships. The player is also fined a total of CHF 45,000. His teammate, Milos Teodosic, is also suspended with immediate effect for two games in main official FIBA competitions. The Serbian Basketball federation will be fined a total of CHF 20,000. - UNECE and FIBA launch global road safety campaign during the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey Basketball stars recruited to promote “play and drive by the rules” message The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) today launch a new information campaign on road safety to coincide with the Basketball World Championship 2010, which will be held in Turkey from 28 August to 12 September.

The campaign will carry the motto “We play and drive by the rules” and has been developed to inform people around the world – especially the young people who are basketball fans or play basketball themselves – and to encourage respect for the rules, on the road as well as on the court. Every year some 1.3 million people die as a result of road traffic crashes worldwide – amounting to more than 3,500 deaths each day. More than half of the casualties are pedestrians, cyclists or other road users not traveling in a car. Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death for children and young people aged between 5 and 29. In addition, on average 20 to 50 million people sustain non-fatal injuries from road traffic crashes each year. These injuries are a significant cause of disabilities worldwide. August 26, 2010 - Glorious Opening Ceremony for 2010 FIBA World Championship The FIBA World Championship will have a glamorous and exciting opening ceremony on Friday night at the Sinan Erdem Arena in Istanbul, Turkey. The world famous Cirque du Soleil will be among the star attractions at the show, which gets underway at 9:15pm local time.

The event will be broadcast in 172 countries and will also be shown on fibatv.com. Dervish Performance and Jannisary Band of Musicians, the great production of the Anatolian Fire Dance Group Troya, Sezen Aksu, Fatih Erkoï¿½, Mï¿½slï¿½m Gï¿½rses, Harris Alexiou as well as Italian tenor Alessandro Safina will be part of the ceremony. Turkey Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, state Minister Frauk Nafiz ï¿½zak and FIBA President Bob Elphinston will give welcome speeches ahead of the 24-team basketball extravaganza, which tips off in Istanbul, Ankara, Kayseri and Izmir on Saturday. Read more here . August 26, 2010 - Euroleague Basketball players at World Championships As the 2010 FIBA World Championships due to tipoff Saturday, even without all final rosters for the 24 teams finalized, one thing is abundantly clear: Euroleague Basketball players once again fill the international stage more than those of any other league or competition in the world!

Nearly one-third of the 288 players players registered for the World Championships are affiliated with the Turkish Airlines Euroleague this coming season. A total of 68 players are among the 22 Euroleague Regular Season teams, while 18 more are from teams competing in the Euroleague Qualifying Rounds. Read more here . August 25, 2010 - New Partizan man Milosavljevic released from Serbia duty Serbia’s Dragan Milosavljevic won’t play at the FIBA World Championship after being released from national team duty by coach Dusan Ivkovic. The Partizan Belgrade guard impressed through the country’s preparations but has been let go. "Dragan Milosavljevic was really active, a well-working guy,” Ivkovic said. “He has shown tremendous progress since we've started with training and, as all other guys did, he gave his best during the preparations.

“From the first day, he was one of most serious candidates for the final squad and I'm going to count on him in the future, for sure - especially after he gains more experience with Partizan at international level.” Milosavljevic, who played for Radnicki Kragujevac before moving to champions Partizan this summer, says the experience with the national team has been terrific. "Sincerely, I wasn't expecting a call, at all,” he said. “Now, I'm more than happy to be the 14th player of Serbia". Read more here . August 25, 2010 - Rondo departure leaves USA with final squad Rajon Rondo has scaled the heights with the Boston Celtics but he won’t do the same with Team USA this summer in Istanbul after deciding to withdraw from the squad. The electric point guard, an NBA champion in the 2007-08 campaign, struggled in a win against Lithuania over the weekend and didn’t play in his side’s 86-85 win over Spain on Sunday. He pulled out of the squad following the Americans’ arrival in Athens, where the side will take on Greece in a friendly on Wednesday.

“Rajon came to us and said he was going to withdraw from the team, that he had some family matters to attend to and some things to take care of before the NBA season,” USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo said. Read more here . August 25, 2010 - Ajinca, Lombahï¿½-Kahuda axed as Collet names France Twelve France hopefuls Alexis Ajinca and Charles Lombahï¿½-Kahuda failed to make the final 12-man squad for the FIBA World Championship announced by national team boss Vincent Collet. The coach made his announcement following Tuesday's 79-66 defeat to Brazil in the Villeurbanne International Tournament. Collet elected to keep big man Ian Mahinmi, despite the Dallas Mavericks youngster carrying a finger injury that is expected to sideline him for at least the first couple of games in Izmir. "I decided to leave for the World Championship without Alexis and Charles, the last players left out of the group,” Collet said. Collet stressed that both players are capable, but didn’t figure into the rotation he had in mind. Read more here .

August 25, 2010 - Only one Dragic in Slovenia’s final squad The Dragic brothers will have to wait before they team up together in a Slovenia shirt after coach Memi Becirovic's decision to make Zoran one of his final two cuts. Dino Muric was also deemed surplus to requirements by Becirovic, who will lead his team in Istanbul against Team USA, Croatia, Brazil, Iran and Tunisia in Group A of the FIBA World Championship. Goran Dragic, who is emerging as one of the finest point guards in the NBA as the back-up to Steve Nash in Phoenix, is in the 12-man group along with several others that reached the Semi-Finals of last year's EuroBasket in Poland. August 25, 2010 - 20 Euroleague Basketball referees working World Championships Euroleague Basketball is pleased to report that 20 of its referees have been selected to officiate the games of the 2010 FIBA World Championships in Turkey. In addition, the Euroleague's Director of Referees, Costas Rigas, will serve as the Referee Supervisor for the Group B first round games to be held in Istanbul.

The group of 20 Euroleague Basketball referees includes many of those chosen to oversee the Euroleague's most important games, including Romualdas Brazauskas of Lithuanian and David Chambon of France, both of whom worked the 2010 Euroleague title game in Paris. Read more here . August 24, 2010 - Argentina edge Turkey in OT to win Efes World Cup Argentina claimed a very important scalp ahead of the FIBA World Championship on Monday night. Sergio Hernandez’s team, holding the number one spot in the FIBA World Rankings, beat Turkey in overtime, 93-89. Carlos Delfino, whose role has grown in importance this summer with the absence of shooting guard Manu Ginobili from the Argentina squad, had 30 points for the victors. The Argentinians also received big games from Luis Scola, who scored 14 while hauling in six rebounds and handing out four assists, Pablo Prigioni (9pts, 13ass) and Leo Gutierrez (12pts, 4rbs). Read more here .

August 23, 2010 - Euroleague stars look forward to world party After 10 years during which they won more medals in elite international competition than any other basketball pros, Turkish Airlines Euroleague Basketball players head into the 2010 FIBA World Championships this week with plans to add to their legacy. That sentiment is particularly strong for defending world champion Spain, for whom seven players from the 2006 team that won it all are back to try to double their gold count in Turkey. Juan Carlos Navarro of Regal FC Barcelona and Real Madrid teammates Jorge Garbajosa and Felipe Reyes, the pillars of Spain's final victory in Japan four years ago, will lead the way again. Read more here . August 20, 2010 - Baumann: FIBA condemns violence FIBA unconditionally condemns the violence that occurred during the Final of the Acropolis tournament between Greece and Serbia that was played in Athens, Greece last night. Such scenes involving players on a basketball court are entirely unacceptable, especially as players are seen as important role models for young fans. They are also ambassadors for basketball on the global stage and they should always be seen to act as such.

Patrick Baumann, the Secretary General of FIBA, said: "I was appalled to see the disgraceful scenes that occurred during the Greece v Serbia game. They were an awful stain on the good name of world basketball. Read more here . August 19, 2010 - Acropolis Cup Day 3: Unbeliavable fight in Serbia-Greece and Slovenia cruises past Canada In the third and final day of the Acropolis tournament Slovenia recorded their first win beating Canada comfortably while the game between the Serbs and the Greeks never ended due to Ivkovic, Teodosic and Krstic. And now to the spicy part of the day where the Serbia-Greece game was blown up in the air after the misbehaviour of the Serbs and especially coach Dusan Ivkovic and players Nenad Krstic and Milos Teodosic. After Ivkovic was convinced to leave the court (after five minutes), the players started their "show".

First it was Fotsis with Teodosic who started slapping (!!!) each other and then the "big guys" took over as Krstic punched Schortsianitis and when Big Sofo tried to retaliate Bourousis (who was not even playing as he was injured) entered the court and tried to stop him, only to have his head opened wide open by Krstic, using a chair!!! Read more here . August 16, 2010 - World Championship participation history Do you know the only two nations to have taken part in all (15) the World Championships tournaments to this day? Are you curious to see which teams are regulars and which teams are "newbies"? Check out the full table with all the participants of all World Championships that have taken place so far. Read more here . August 16, 2010 - President hands trophy to victorious Lebanon With President Michel Suleiman watching on, Lebanon beat Japan 97-59 to lift the 3rd FIBA Asia Stankovic Cup in Beirut.

Rony Fahed scored 23 points as Lebanon won their first ever FIBA Asia crown to continue their preparations for the FIBA World Championship in style. President Suleiman is known as a keen basketball fan, and arrived in time for the start of the final to cheer on his country. “All FIBA Asia events are organized under the patronage of the respective governments and sport authorities, and we have had the pleasure of having various top dignitaries with us during our events,” said FIBA Asia Deputy Secretary General Hagop Khajirian. August 16, 2010 - United States rout China, France The United States picked up a couple of wins but dropped two players during a busy weekend in New York. Mike Krzyzewski's team beat France 86-55 and China 98-51 in two impressive warm-up game displays, but there was bad news for both Jeff Green and JaVale McGee as they were cut from the team, which now stands at 13. The weekend began as the game against China went entirely to plan with a one-sided rout.

Danny Granger scored 22 points as Krzyzewski's team raced past China with an outstanding display of speed. A string of injuries has left the United States short on size, but it was apparent at Madison Square Garden that they will be more than capable of outrunning plenty of teams in Turkey. They outscored China 32-4 on fast-break points to underline those credentials. August 16, 2010 - Introducing the ‘Giant Get-Together’ campaign Launched on 1st April 2010, the much talked about ‘Giant Get-Together’ promotional campaign – led by USA star Kobe Bryant – features giants of the international game towering above some of Turkey’s most famous landmarks. Picture a gargantuan Bryant dribbling above the Bosphorus as wreaks havoc on the Galata Bridge, a titanic Hedo Turkoglu shaping up for a shot beside Ankara's famous Atakule Tower, Pau Gasol hunched over Izmir’s clock tower or even Tony Parker standing like a colossus in a seaside bay off the coast of Turkey. Read more here .

August 8, 2010 - Serbia won Adidas Cup in Turkey Serbia has won Adidas Cup after beating Turkey in tonight's final game 83-70. This was first preparation tournament for Serbia and they have managed to win 3 straight games against New Zealand, Iran and finally Turkey. After beating New Zealand and Iran, the game against Turkey who was host of the Adidas Cup was good test for Serbia to acknowledge the level of preparation they stand for the forthcoming World Championship. Turkey has been better team only in the first couple of minutes, led by the Ersan Ilyasova but Serbia quickly managed to egalize and come ahead to win first quarter by 27-20. Everything functioned good tonight for the Serbs who was ahead 49-36 at the half-time with Marko Keselj scored 11 points to surprise home team. Read more here . July 22, 2010 - World Championship Round-Up 9 With the World Championships in Turkey edging closer and closer, the big-name countries are naming their squads and preparing for upcoming exhibition games. But, with just over a month until tip-off. The foremost performers are dropping out like flies.

Germany’s Dirk Nowitzki and USA’s Amar’e Stoudemire join fellow big-name players such as China’s Yao Ming, USA’s LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Argentina’s Manu Ginobili on the sidelines, as they pull out of this summer’s tournament. Read more here . July 22, 2010 - Kirilenko confirms absence at the WC Andrei Kirilenko admited to Russian newspaper "Sport Express", that he will not take part in the upcoming World Championship in Turkey with Russia. Kirilenko missed many games late last season due to injury for the Utah Jazz and prefered to rest in order to be in shape for the next NBA season. "We will be weak without Kirilenko" comented Sergey Bykov on the situation. July 5, 2010 - World Championship Round-Up 8 Serbia have high hopes going into the World Championships this summer. With coach, Dusan Ivkovic leading his young team to a silver medal at EuroBasket last year, he has been looking forward to showcasing his young squad in Turkey. But, for the second time in his career, Ivkovic has been appointed as the new coach of Greek giants, Olympiacos.

Despite this though, the legendary coach will lead his Serbian squad this summer, but is yet to decide if he should stay on coaching Serbia and manage Olympiacos - or, concentrate solely on the Greek side? "My greatest obligation is an obligation to the players that I have, since I took over this function, training and selecting, so that the conduct of the Serbian national team at the World Championship in Turkey is not in question.” Said Ivkovic. Serbia are in Group A, alongside: Argentina, Angola, Australia, Germany and Jordan. Staying with Group A - and Germany most famous player, Dirk Nowitzki is rumoured to of signed a new contract with the Dallas Mavericks. Which could free him up to join Germany this summer. Nowitzki didn’t feature for Germany last year and the German fans are hoping that he will play for his side in Turkey in August. His long-time friend and advisor Holger Geschwindner, according to Associated Press, told the news agency that Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and Nowitzki had agreed to “to get it done.” Nowitzki’s new deal is reported to be for four years worth $80million.

Question: Which country hosted the 2010 FIBA World Championship international basketball tournament?
Answer: Turkey