Asian Games basketball axe leaves Hong Kong teams on the outside looking in
Number of men’s and women’s sides for 2026 Games in Japan cut to 12 with Fiba rankings to be used to select who will play
Hong Kong will not be sending men’s or women’s basketball teams to this year’s Asian Games in Japan, after organisers slashed the number of teams to the lowest in more than 20 years.
And while there was a last-minute reprieve three years ago in Hangzhou, it seems unlikely that will happen this time around, with just 12 teams per gender invited to take part.
For the men, who had 16 teams competing in Hangzhou three years ago compared with the women’s 12, it is the smallest field since the 2002 Games in Busan.
Games organisers who spoke to the South China Morning Post did not say why the number of teams had been cut. Hong Kong has not been officially told of the decision.
Countries for the tournament at the new 17,000-seat Aichi International Arena will be selected based on regional rankings, leaving the city’s men, No 26, and women, No 21, well short of where they would need to be.
Officials said 26 federations had applied to play, with the hosts and regional heavyweights Iran, China, the Philippines and South Korea all expected to take part in the men’s competition.