Georgian national basketball team to face Latvia at FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Riga
Mamukelashvili added the team would “go out there and play until our last breath, regardless of the outcome of the game”. Photo: Georgian Basketball Federation
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The Georgian national basketball team will face their Latvian counterparts at the Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournament on Tuesday, with the competition running this week in Riga.
In his comments to the International Basketball Federation, Tornike Shengelia, the captain of the team, said the squad was “in a position to have a chance to play the Olympics”, noting “the work we've all been putting in paid off so far. Hopefully, it's gonna pay off even more”.
We're very proud people. We understand we're coming from a very small country. The success on a big stage like this means the world to us”, Shengelia added.
I'm here to win, to compete, to show everybody that Georgians have a big heart”, centre Sandro Mamukelashvili said.
Mamukelashvili added the team would “go out there and play until our last breath, regardless of the outcome of the game”.
The Georgian national basketball team on Wednesday defeated Venezuela 70:59 and qualified for the second group stage of the FIBA World Cup.
The Georgian national basketball team will play in its first World Cup after earning a spot at the tournament on Sunday despite losing to Iceland 80-77 in its final qualifying game.
The debutant Georgian national basketball team has claimed its first win at the FIBA Basketball World Cup, defeating Cape Verde by 85:60 in the first match on Saturday at Okinawa Arena in Japan.
The Georgian national anthem has just been performed at the FIBA Basketball World Cup for the first time in history, with the Georgian basketball team playing its first-ever match against Cape Verde at this moment in Japan’s city of Okinawa.
The Georgian national basketball team will face Slovenia, Venezuela and Cape Verde in its first World Cup in Japan’s city of Okinawa, the Georgian Basketball Federation said on Saturday.