Surat Thani stage set for Asia’s young women basketballers
Official website:
http://suratthani2010.fibaasia.net/
SURAT THANI, Thailand (20th FIBA Asia U18 Championship for Women): Twelve teams – divided into two levels – will be seen in action in the 20th FIBA Asia U18 Championship for Women starting at the capital of the largest of the southern provinces of Thailand, on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Thailand, on June 23.
The top three finishers from the eight-day championship will qualify for the 9th FIBA U19 World Championship for Women, scheduled to be held in Chile from July 20-30 2011.
Japan, who won their maiden gold medal at the last edition of this Championship in Medan (Indonesia) two years ago have their task cut out in attempting to retain their title pitted as they are against six-time champions China and traditional powerhouse Korea – the only other team to ever win the title.
Chinese Taipei, Malaysia and Kazakhstan who earned a promotion at Medan complete the line-up in the elite Level I, which will decide the champions as well as the qualifiers for the World Championship.
Hosts Thailand are drawn with fellow South East Asian rivals Philippines and Laos along with India, who lost out to Kazakhstan in the Level I play-offs two years ago, in Level II of the competition.
Sri Lanka and Syria making the first appearance in this competition are the other teams in Level II.
The top four finishers in Level I will be involved in a semifinal knockout.
The top two finishers from Level II will play off with the bottom two finishers of Level I for a place in the elite Level for the next edition.
Both levels will witness an all-play-all format for identifying the semifinalists and the play-off participants.
The event returns to the Land of Smiles, after a gap of one edition.
Thailand last hosted the FIBA Asia U18 Championship for Women when Thai capital Bangkok played host to the 18th edition in 2007. Bangkok had also hosted the event for its 13th edition in 1996.
Japan, China and Korea had represented FIBA Asia in the 8th FIBA World U19 Championship for Women, which was, incidentally, again held in Bangkok in 2009.
East Asian nations have held a powerful hold on the podium-finishes in this event.
China, Korea, Japan and Chinese Taipei have held a stranglehold on the top four finishes in the championship for almost the last quarter of a century.
The last time any team outside this foursome made the semifinals was when Malaysia made the last four in the eighth edition of the championship at Seoul, Korea way back in 1984.
China have won the gold medal 11 times, Korea seven times and Japan once.
FIBA Asia
The top three finishers from the eight-day championship will qualify for the 9th FIBA U19 World Championship for Women, scheduled to be held in Chile from July 20-30 2011.
Japan, who won their maiden gold medal at the last edition of this Championship in Medan (Indonesia) two years ago have their task cut out in attempting to retain their title pitted as they are against six-time champions China and traditional powerhouse Korea – the only other team to ever win the title.
Chinese Taipei, Malaysia and Kazakhstan who earned a promotion at Medan complete the line-up in the elite Level I, which will decide the champions as well as the qualifiers for the World Championship.
Hosts Thailand are drawn with fellow South East Asian rivals Philippines and Laos along with India, who lost out to Kazakhstan in the Level I play-offs two years ago, in Level II of the competition.
Sri Lanka and Syria making the first appearance in this competition are the other teams in Level II.
The top four finishers in Level I will be involved in a semifinal knockout.
The top two finishers from Level II will play off with the bottom two finishers of Level I for a place in the elite Level for the next edition.
Both levels will witness an all-play-all format for identifying the semifinalists and the play-off participants.
The event returns to the Land of Smiles, after a gap of one edition.
Thailand last hosted the FIBA Asia U18 Championship for Women when Thai capital Bangkok played host to the 18th edition in 2007. Bangkok had also hosted the event for its 13th edition in 1996.
Japan, China and Korea had represented FIBA Asia in the 8th FIBA World U19 Championship for Women, which was, incidentally, again held in Bangkok in 2009.
East Asian nations have held a powerful hold on the podium-finishes in this event.
China, Korea, Japan and Chinese Taipei have held a stranglehold on the top four finishes in the championship for almost the last quarter of a century.
The last time any team outside this foursome made the semifinals was when Malaysia made the last four in the eighth edition of the championship at Seoul, Korea way back in 1984.
China have won the gold medal 11 times, Korea seven times and Japan once.
FIBA Asia
http://suratthani2010.fibaasia.net/
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