Latvian 3X3 basketball players hope to get a ticket to Paris already in the first qualifying tournament

If the Latvian national team fails to win in the first qualifying tournament, the next opportunity will be in the tournament that will take place from May 3 to 5 in the Japanese city of Utsunomiya, while the last chance to get an Olympic ticket will be from May 16 to 19 in the Hungarian city of Debrecen. Čavars pointed out that Latvia should try to qualify for the first tournament in order to then postpone more time to prepare for the Paris Olympic Games tournament.

“We need to focus on this tournament and not think about what is yet to come. It would be good to do all the work already in the first tournament so that we have more time to prepare for the games. The coach has already drawn up several options depending on how we will start in Hong Kong,” explained the basketball player.

He revealed that Latvian 3×3 basketball players do not feel additional pressure like the Olympic champions before the qualification, but after the Tokyo Olympic Games, all opponents against the Latvians have tried to prove their skills.

“We felt it more in the first two years after the Olympics, then everyone also tried to bite somehow. Now it has all calmed down, and people come to play against us with confidence, but we have our own plan to show them that we are not playboys,” he pointed out Chavar.

Already in December, Chavar expressed his position that if athletes from Russia and Belarus compete in the Olympic Games in Paris, then he will not go to the Paris Games. Chawar confirmed that his stance remains unchanged.

“You have to qualify from the beginning, and then we can judge, but I have a different position. I have an individual goal to stick to what I say, because there is a son growing up in the family, to whom I want to show the values ​​of sticking to what I say. At this moment, if everything remains the same, then I don’t see myself in the Olympic Games,” added the basketball player.

Also, Chavar did not hide that these will be his last Olympic Games, but did not reveal his further career plans in 3×3 basketball.

On the other hand, Miezis highlighted at the press conference that in the three years since the Tokyo Olympic Games, the level of 3×3 basketball in the world has definitely increased.

“The level has definitely increased, it is also proven by the fact that professional basketball players are turning to 3×3 basketball. I’m just happy about it, because five or six years ago people were still laughing at this sport, that it was indoor basketball, but it has been proven that it is definitely no,” Miezis said.

Similar to Chavars, Miezis also announced in December that he will not participate in the Paris Olympic Games if athletes from Russia and Belarus can compete in them.

“First of all, I wanted to apologize for saying that before we qualified, because first you have to do the work and then you can comment on something. Now our goal is to qualify for the games, and I hope that I will be included in the squad,” explained the basketball player.

Speaking about the opponents in the first qualifying tournament, he pointed out that Mongolian basketball players are the best known.

“The only ones we know well are the Mongols, the rest are not really known. I only see if New Zealand has ‘big bulls’ that hit. The Mongols are aggressive and fight a lot, but we’ve put in a lot of work and there shouldn’t be any problems.” Miezis added.

Serbia, the USA and China, which were in the first three in the world ranking on November 1, have already won three of the eight tickets to the Olympic tournament in the men’s competition.