2012 London Olympics: China Wins Bid, Qualifying Tournament Full

Here’s the full rundown of teams who have been awarded bids to the Olympics:

Asia also advance two teams to the last-chance qualifying tournament to be held in Europe next July, where the top three finishers will join the Olympic bracket. Jordan and South Korea earned those bids, both with wins over the Philippines (Jordan in the semifinals and South Korea in the third place game). Here are the teams that have qualified for the qualifying tournament:

The four bids Europe has for the 2012 Olympic qualifying tournament next July have been set, as Lithuania and Greece won the rights to join EuroBasket 2011 semifinalists Macedonia and Russia in that last-chance bracket, where the final three bids to the London Games will be set.

By virtue of semifinal wins at EuroBasket in Lithuania, Spain and France won direct bids to the 2012 Olympics. Eight of the 12 teams for the London Games are set. Here’s the rundown.

Despite the loss, Russia will still have a chance to qualify for the London Olympics in the qualifying tournament. They’ll be joined by Macedonia, Lithuania and Greece.

Half of the field for the men’s basketball tournament at the 2012 London Olympics is set, as Brazil and Argentina earned berths Saturday by becoming finalists in the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship in Mar del Plata, Argentina. Here’s what the field looks like as of Sept. 10, 2011, in addition to FIBA world rankings and how the teams qualified:

Brazil and Argentina will join the United States in representing the Americas region at the 2012 London Olympics, thanks to wins by the rivals in the semifinals of the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship on Saturday. Brazil held off the Dominican Republic 83-76, thanks largely to point guard Marcelinho Huertas, who had eight points and two assists in the fourth quarter and 19 and seven for the game. Huertas was joined by veteran wing Marcelo Machado (20 points in 25 minutes off the bench) atop the ledger.

Like the D.R., Puerto Rico will attempt to qualify for London in July’s qualifying tournament. Brazil and Argentina will meet on Sunday to play for the Americas championship.

Australia has won the fourth bid to the men’s basketball tournament at the 2012 London Olympics, by virtue of defeating New Zealand in the FIBA Oceania Championship. New Zealand will, as a result, take a spot in next July’s last-chance Olympic qualifying tournament.

The Oceania region has one automatic bid to the 12-team Olympic field despite its minute size at the competitive senior men’s level. In the Olympics, Australia will join Tunisia, which won the FIBA Africas Championship last month, reigning FIBA World Champion Team USA and host nation Great Britain. Two Olympic bids from the Americas region will be decided on Saturday, and next week two teams from Europe will qualify. The Asian Championship is later in September.

Venezuela’s men’s national basketball team has earned a berth into the last-chance qualfying tournament for the 2012 London Olympics by virtue of a fifth-place finish in the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship. Venezuela cinched its spot with a 92-80 win over Uruguay on Thursday.

The winners of those semifinal games will advance directly to the 2012 Olympics. Team USA has already earned a berth to London by winning the 2010 FIBA World Championships. The United States did not field a team for FIBA Americas 2011.

Nigeria knocked off Cote d’Ivoire on Sunday to take third place at the 2011 FIBA Africa Championship in Madagascar. Along with bronze, Nigeria earns a bid to the last-chance Olympic qualifying tournament.

Cote d’Ivoire had fallen to Tunisia in a heartbreaker on Saturday, and now looks to Afrobasket 2013 and a potential spot in the 2014 FIBA World Championship.