They will attend Olympic party

By winning gold medals over the weekend, the Brazil and Angola women’s national teams made sure they’ll be attending Olympic party next year .

Brazil trounced Argentina in Saturday's FIBA Americas Championship for Women gold-medal game in Colombia, 74-33, with big center Erika de Souza Machado named the tournament's MVP.Taylormade r7 limited -four hours later and Angola, who had surprised Afrobasket Women hosts Mali in the Semi-Finals in Bamako, stunned defending champions Senegal, 62-54, to reach the top of the podium.

The Brazilians and Angolans are in the London Games with the United States, who qualified as world champions, hosts Great Britain, EuroBasket Women gold medalists Russia, Asian champions China and Oceania winners Australia.Taylormade R9 Driver
Brazil's basketball great Hortencia Marcari, now her confederation's director of women's teams, said: "I am quite happy because now, we can make a better plan for the Olympics.

“All the effort and unity of the players was worth it. The team was ready to be champions."

As for Angola, coach Anibal Moreira was not surprised by his team’s great summer.Taylormade r9 460 driver
“For us, the reference year was (Afrobasket) 2007 when we finished third in Dakar,” he said.

“In 2009, we were also third.

"The victory in 2011 was logical because we were on our line.

“We have collected the fruits of a lot of work."

There are five spots still available for London, however, and they will be determined at the 12-team FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women that will be staged from June 25 until July 1.

Argentina and Canada, who won silver and bronze in the Americas, along with Cuba, will be in that event.

So will Senegal and Mali, the silver- and bronze-medal winners in Africa.

Korea and Japan, who finished second and third, respectively, behind China, Oceania runners-up New Zealand, and the sides that came in second through fifth at the EuroBasket Women - Turkey, France, the Czech Republic and Croatia – are in the field in the additional qualifiers.