The coach of Les Bleues Jean-Aime Toupane has admitted that the Group B which has Nigeria, Canada and Australia would be an easy draw for the French team, at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Toupane coached his team at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Australia in 2022 and again last summer at the FIBA Women’s EuroBasket. He also led them at the FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Xi’an, where they impressed by beating hosts China, New Zealand and Puerto Rico.
“We are happy to have a much clearer idea of our opponents,” Toupane told FIBA.com.
“Every game will be a challenge. It won’t be easy. We’ll be facing athletic teams: Canada, Australia, Nigeria. This aspect will be important beyond basketball.”
“The most important thing for us is already having a clear idea about the opponent. Since we have ambition and the desire to go as far as possible, we have to face everyone.”
Boris Diaw and Celine Dumerc, two of the country’s national team legends, attended the Draws at the Patrick Baumann House of Basketball in Mies. Both are general managers of their former teams.
Both are symbols of powerful French teams of the past.
Dumerc, who set the Olympic world alight in London 12 years ago by spearheading France’s run to the Gold Medal Game, knows there will be danger at every turn.
“Yes, it’s a fairly balanced group,” she said. “If we just look at the results from the last World Cup, we’re facing two teams that finished in the top four, so two big teams, plus Nigeria… So, it’s not easy.
“Did we expect better? Honestly, these are the Olympic Games, so we know that every group presents its own challenges no matter what. We’ll have to play and win matches to come out on top.”