Japan qualifies for Paris Olympics at Fiba World Cup
Members of team Japan celebrate the victory after the FIBA Basketball World Cup group O match between Japan and Cape Verde at Okinawa Arena in Okinawa on September 2, 2023. (Photo by Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP)
Japan qualified for the Paris Olympics on Saturday after finishing as the highest-placed Asian team at the Fiba World Cup.
Tournament co-host Japan beat Cape Verde 80-71 in Okinawa to claim its third win of the competition.
The result eliminated China and Lebanon, who both had one win each and were set to play later in the day.
Japan came from behind late to beat both Finland in the group stage and Venezuela in the classification round.
What a time to be alive! 🥳#FIBAWC x #WinForJapan 🇯🇵 | #AkatsukiJapan pic.twitter.com/eDTR43bGZc
— FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 🏆 (@FIBAWC) September 2, 2023
This time it was the Japanese who suffered a late wobble, conceding the first 13 points of the fourth quarter before holding on for the win.
South Sudan also booked its ticket to the Paris Games earlier in the day as the World Cup’s highest-placed African team.
South Sudan beat Angola 101-78 in Manila to pick up its third win, before nearest challengers Egypt lost 88-86 to New Zealand.
The highest-placed World Cup finishers from each of Asia, Africa and Oceania all qualify for Paris, along with the top two teams from both Europe and the Americas.
Australia has already grabbed the Oceania berth, while France qualifies automatically as hosts.
Four further spots at the 12-team Olympic competition will be up for grabs at next year’s qualifying tournament.
