ISTANBUL (2010 FIBA World Championship) - Today's draw has begun the countdown to the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey. The 24 participating teams were drawn into four groups of 6 teams each.
Here are draw results for the groups for the First Round:
Group A: Serbia, Argentina, Australia, Jordan, Germany, Angola
Group B: Croatia, Brazil, Tunisia, Slovenia, Iran, USA
Group C: China, Turkey, Russia, Puerto Rico, Ivory Coast, Greece
Group D: Lithuania, Lebanon, France, Spain, Canada, New Zealand
The draw was held at the the Ciragan Palace Kempinski Hotel, Istanbul, on Tuesday, 15th December 2009 at 11:30AM local time (10:30AM CET). It was jointly conducted by FIBA and the LOC in the presence of participating team delegations, National Federation members, prominent public figures and members of the international media.
Stars present at the draw included 1996 Olympic gold medallist Hakeem Olajuwon, Daniel "El Gigante" Santiago from Puerto Rico, Germany team record holder Patrick Femerling and Turkish monument Efe Aydan.
The tournament will be played in Turkey in the cities of Ankara, Kayseri, Istanbul and Izmir between 28th August and 12th September 2010.
Competition Format
The First Round will see a total of 60 games, in which each team faces the other 5 teams in its respective group. The four top placed teams from each group will advance to the Eighth Final Round, at which point the Championship continues in a standard knock-out format.
For more information visit turkey2010.fiba.com.
Quick Facts about the FIBA World Championship
Held every 4 years, the FIBA World Championship determines the world's top nation in men's basketball. The tournament was first held in 1950 in Argentina and the sixteenth edition will be played next year Turkey.
Seven different teams have been crowned World Champions. Leading the medal table are the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia and the USA, all having won the Championship three times. Spain are defending the title they won in Japan in 2006, while Argentina are currently the world's best ranked basketball nation. The 2010 FIBA World Champion will automatically qualify for the 2012 Olympic Basketball Tournament in London.