Dimitris Kouimtsidis
SPAIN women’s basketball have beaten Great Britain and qualified for the Olympic Games.
In the final game of the Olympic qualification stage in Belgrade, Spain managed to come out on top against Team GB, 79-69.
Team GB needed a win after their tight loss by three points to South Korea, but knew their work would be cut out for them against current European Champions, Spain.
The Spanish team seemed in control throughout the entire game, building up a ten point lead before half time and maintaining it for the rest of the game.
The British team lost their funding following the 2012 Olympics and have had to rely on emergency funding, so qualification for Tokyo was crucial.
Going into the Olympic qualification, Jose Buceta’s players ranked 18th in the world knew they would have a difficult time against world number three Spain, number eight China and number 19 South Korea.
Team GB captain, Chantella Handy said after the game: “We did not get a ticket but I am proud we fought every game, we played hard together and we tried.
“Some people look at us and don’t think we should be here but we are here and we made a statement for GB basketball.
“We have sacrificed things like times with our family. The funding was not there but it did not matter. We have passion, we are like a family.”
