International basketball tournament
Basketball at the 2008 Summer Olympics was the seventeenth appearance of the sport of basketball as an official Olympic medal event. It was held from 9 August to 24 August 2008. Competitions were held at the Wukesong Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China.
Flag bearers.
Basketball players that carried their flags at the opening ceremony were Yao Ming (for the People's Republic of China), Šarūnas Jasikevičius (for Lithuania), Dirk Nowitzki (for Germany), Andrei Kirilenko (for the Russian Federation), and Manu Ginóbili (for Argentina).
Events.
Two sets of medals were awarded in the following events:
Qualification.
A NOC may enter up to one men's team with 12 players and up to one women's team with 12 players. The reigning world champions and the host country qualify automatically, as do the winners of the five continental championships (plus the men's runners-up from Europe and the Americas).
The best teams from the continental championships that did not automatically qualify participated in the FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament or FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women to determine the final spots in Beijing.
Italicized teams qualified via the wildcard tournaments.
Format.
Tie-breaking criteria:
Rosters.
Each team is limited to twelve players on its roster.
Men.
Preliminary round.
The four best teams from each group advanced to the quarterfinal round.
Women.
Preliminary round.
The four best teams from each group advanced to the quarterfinal round.
References.
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