Chemist Warehouse Opals Travel to Pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournament
The Chemist Warehouse Australian Opals have begun their journey to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, travelling to Kuala Lumpur for the FIBA Women’s Pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
The team travel to Malaysia to compete in the Asia-Oceania region of the new qualification system and will play off in three games over four days.
Eight countries will be competing in the Asia-Oceania tournament and will be playing for one of four spots at the FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournaments in February next year.
In the group B draw, the Opals will face Chinese Taipei, India and Japan and will need to finish in the top two of the group to qualify.
Having finished third at the FIBA Asia Cup in September, Head Coach Sandy Brondello said the team’s time in Kuala Lumpur will allow the coaches to further evaluate the squad ahead of the second Olympic qualifying tournament in February.
“The recent Asia Cup showed us areas that we need to be better at and these upcoming games will give us valuable training and game experience so that we can continue to improve our team chemistry and execution,” said Brondello.
Rebecca Allen will be an integral part of the side competing in Malaysia, having had a dominant display at the FIBA Asia Cup (earning her an All Star 5 selection). She was named as the top performer on three occasions including the bronze medal winning defeat over Korea where she collected 20 points and seven rebounds.
The side will also be bolstered by the return of Liz Cambage and Marianna Tolo who missed the Asia Cup due to WNBA commitments and injury.
The three games will be broadcast via live stream on FIBA’s YouTube channel at the following times (AEDT):
| DATE | LIVE STREAM TIME (AEDT) | GAME | VENUE | LOCATION |
| 14 November | 20:00 | Australia v Chinese Taipei | MABA Stadium | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| 16 November | 20:00 | India v Australia | MABA Stadium | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| 17 November | 21:00 | Japan v Australia | MABA Stadium | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
Chemist Warehouse Australian Opals:
| NAME | CURRENT TEAM |
| Rebecca Allen | Arka Gdynia Poland / New York Liberty |
| Elizabeth Cambage | China / Las Vegas Aces |
| Katie-Rae Ebzery | Perth Lynx |
| Darcee Garbin | JCU Townsville Fire |
| Cayla George | Deakin Melbourne Boomers |
| Tess Lavey | Bendigo Spirit |
| Tess Madgen | JCU Townsville Fire |
| Ezi Magbedor | Deakin Melbourne Boomers |
| Leilani Mitchell | Jayco Southside Flyers |
| Jenna O’Hea | Jayco Southside Flyers |
| Steph Talbot | Adelaide Lightning |
| Marianna Tolo | University of Canberra Capitals |
The Chemist Warehouse Australian Opals have begun their journey to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, travelling to Kuala Lumpur for the FIBA Women’s Pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
Basketball Australia
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