Becky Massey and Emma Meesseman. — © BELGA
With a clash against the United States, the reigning Olympic and world champion, the Belgian Cats open their Olympic qualifying tournament on Thursday in the Antwerp Sports Palace.
On Friday they meet African vice-champion Senegal, on Sunday African champion Nigeria is the opponent. The top two of the group will qualify for next summer’s Olympic Games in Paris. The US has already qualified for the Games as world champions. As a result, three of the four participating teams will go to the Games. For the Belgians it could already be the eighth major tournament in a row, after four European Championships, two World Cups and once the Olympic Games.
“We have to approach that match against the US in an intelligent way,” Emma Meesseman and Julie Allemand said during a press moment on Monday. “We are happy that we can start against the US,” Meesseman continued. “In that match we have to be at a high level straight away, while the result is not important. Our goal is clear: qualification for the Games. Here it is not about winning all the matches. That won’t be until next summer, if we can qualify. Here we want to emerge stronger as a team from the game against the Americans. Then we have to keep Senegal or Nigeria behind us.”
“Even a stunt against the US is of no use if the two subsequent matches turn out to be nothing,” says Allemand. “It will be a special week and we should not think that qualifying is already in the bag. That match against the Americans is a good training. We have nothing to lose and are preparing for those matches against Senegal and Nigeria, who also dream of Olympic qualification.”
Both Senegal (2000 and 2016) and Nigeria (2004 and 2021) have already attended the Games twice in the past. The Belgian basketball women have one participation, three years ago in the Japanese capital Tokyo.
© BELGIUM