The German basketball players have qualified for the Olympic Games for the first time. National coach Lisa Thomaidis’ team beat the hosts 73:71 (39:35) in Belém, Brazil, in the third and final game of the qualifying tournament. This means that the selection of the German Basketball Federation (DBB) will take part in the Summer Games in Paris.
Despite the missing WNBA pros Satou and Nyara Sabally, the German basketball players got off to an outstanding start and were quickly 11-0 ahead. But in the last quarter the Brazilians came back into the game and temporarily gained a four-point lead. The DBB selection for the Olympic qualification could have allowed itself a defeat with a difference of seven points.
With Satou Sabally’s layup to make it 67:67 just under a minute before the end, qualification was secured. The DBB selection exuberantly celebrated their success on the floor and posed for a group photo behind an oversized boarding pass. Germany laid the foundation with its unexpected victory against Serbia at the start of the Olympic qualifying tournament.
“It’s a historic night”
“The will and passion that we showed today is something I have never experienced before. It is a historic night that this team deserves,” said national coach Lisa Thomaidis after the win against Brazil. “We have steadily developed and worked on ourselves over the last eight months. The Olympics will be an important experience for all of us.”
This is the first time that both the men and women of the German Basketball Association will be taking part in the Olympic Games. The men had already secured their ticket to Paris last summer by winning the World Cup title. The Olympic preliminary round games will be held in Lille from July 27th, and the final round will then take place in Paris.
The German basketball players have qualified for the Olympic Games for the first time. National coach Lisa Thomaidis’ team beat the hosts 73:71 (39:35) in Belém, Brazil, in the third and final game of the qualifying tournament. This means that the selection of the German Basketball Federation (DBB) will take part in the Summer Games in Paris.
Despite the missing WNBA pros Satou and Nyara Sabally, the German basketball players got off to an outstanding start and were quickly 11-0 ahead. But in the last quarter the Brazilians came back into the game and temporarily gained a four-point lead. The DBB selection for the Olympic qualification could have allowed itself a defeat with a difference of seven points.
