MEDIA RELEASE

2 August 2013

ABC TELEVISION TO BROADCAST 2013 FIBA OCEANIA CHAMPIONSHIPS

Basketball fans Australia-wide will see the Australian Boomers and Australian Jayco Opals in action this month with ABC Television broadcasting all four games of the 2013 FIBA Oceania Championships.

Some of the biggest names in Australian – including Lauren Jackson, , , , Joe Ingles, Jenni Screen and Belinda Snell – will take the court as the Boomers and Opals face the New Zealand Tall Blacks and Tall Ferns ahead of the 2014 FIBA World Cup and World Championships.

Tipping off on Wednesday 14 August, Australia will take on New Zealand in the first double-header of the series in Auckland, with highlights from both games to be shown on ABC1 from 11:30pm AEST.

Fans can catch the games from New Zealand LIVE online through livebasketball.tv.

The Boomers and Opals will then return home for the second double-header of the trans-Tasman series on Sunday 18 August, with ABC broadcasting LIVE from the AIS Arena in Canberra.

The ABC commentary team will be hosted by Stephanie Brantz and feature former national superstars, and Rachael Sporn, along with Women’s National Basketball League life member Narelle Fletcher and ABC commentator, Darren Boyd.

Basketball Australia Chief Executive Officer Kristina Keneally said the FIBA Qualifier would bring together a number of 2012 Olympians alongside exciting rising stars from the recent World University Games and FIBA U19 World Championships.

“This is undoubtedly the biggest event on our high performance calendar this year, so we’re pleased fans right across the country will be able to catch the elite action on free-to-air TV with our broadcast partner ABC,” Ms Keneally said.

ABC TV Head of Sport and Events Justin Holdforth said: “The Opals and the Boomers are two of Australia's most important national sporting teams, so it's appropriate that both will be seen on the national broadcaster.

“It's a privilege to have superstars like Lauren Jackson and Patty Mills on ABC1, and we look forward to seeing both teams emphatically qualifying for next year’s World Cup.”

The Boomers have automatically qualified for the 2014 World Cup with Australia and New Zealand taking the two places on offer; however, seedings and group placements will be decided at the men’s qualifier.

The Opals must win the two-test event to qualify, as only one place is on offer in the Oceania Qualifier for women.

2013 FIBA Oceania Championships Broadcast Schedule

(All broadcast times AEST – all tip-off times local)

Game 1 and Game 2 Australian Boomers vs New Zealand Tall Blacks Australian Jayco Opals vs New Zealand Tall Ferns Wednesday 14 August @ North Shore Events Centre, Auckland Tip-off: Boomers 5:00pm, Opals 7:30pm (local time) TV: 11:30pm AEST on ABC1 (highlights) Online: LIVE on livebasketball.tv

Game 3 and Game 4 Australian Boomers vs New Zealand Tall Blacks Australian Jayco Opals vs New Zealand Tall Ferns Sunday 18 August @ AIS Arena, Canberra Tip-off: Boomers 2:00pm, Opals 4:00pm TV: 2:00pm AEST LIVE on ABC1

All games will also be available on ABC IView at: abc.net.au/Iview

Further Information

Qualification events for the 2014 FIBA Men’s Basketball World Cup, Spain

The 17th FIBA Basketball World Cup for men will be held 30 August – 14 September, 2014 in Spain. Host nation Spain and Olympic Champions the USA have automatically qualified. 22 places remain to qualify at the following events:

• 1 – 11 August: 2013 FIBA Asia Championship, Philippines – 3 places • 14 and 18 August: 2013 FIBA Oceania Championship, Auckland/Canberra – 2 places • 20 – 31 August: 2013 FIBA Africa Championship, Ivory Coast – 3 places • 30 Aug – 11 Sept: 2013 FIBA Americas Championship – Venezuela – 4 places • 4 – 22 Sept: FIBA EuroBasket 2013, Slovenia – 6 places

(Plus four wildcards)

The Boomers have automatically qualified for the 2014 World Cup with Australia and New Zealand taking the two places on offer; however, seedings and group placements will be decided at the men’s qualifier.

Qualification events for the 2014 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Championships, Turkey

The 17th FIBA Basketball World Championships for women will be held 27 September 27– 5 October, 2014 in Turkey. Host nation Turkey and Olympic Champions, the USA have automatically qualified. 14 places remain to qualify at the following events:

• 15 – 30 June 2013: EuroBasket Women 2013, France – 5 places • 14 and 18 August: 2013 FIBA Oceania Championship, Auckland/Canberra – 1 place • 20 – 29 Sept:2013 FIBA Africa Championship, Maputo, Mozambique – 2 places • 23 to 29 Sept: 2013 FIBA Americas Championship, Xalapa, Mexico – 3 places • 27 Oct – 3 Nov: 2013 FIBA Asia Championship – Bangkok, Thailand – 3 places

The Jayco Opals must win the two-test event to qualify, as only one place is on offer in the Oceania Qualifier for women.