Raimonds Feldmanis: “Everyone is healthy, everyone is mobilized and knows the goal in the Hong Kong tournament”

The Latvian 3×3 basketball team is going to China on April 4, where they will continue to prepare for the Olympic qualification tournament scheduled for April 12-14 in Hong Kong.

Six basketball players will participate in the last preparatory stage under the leadership of head coach Raimonds Feldmanis: Agnis Čavars, Edgars Krūmiņš, Kārlis Pauls Lasmanis, Francis Gustavs Lācis, Nauris Miezis and Zigmārs Raimo.

Raimonds Feldmanis, head coach of the Latvian 3×3 national team:

“Everyone is healthy, everyone is mobilized, everyone knows their goal. We fly in time to acclimatize, as recommended by the specialists of the Olympic unit. In addition, with six players to have a normal training process. The composition? The players know, but in classic basketball, the starting five must be named 15 minutes before the game, so let’s not rush.

Among the opponents, we know the first ones best – the players of the Mongolian national team. Professionals with extensive World Tour experience. New Zealand are known to have two very tall players. There is less information about the Egyptians, but we will play with them on the second day, so there will be no more secrets.

Athletes always want to win and that is also our goal – to win the right to play in the Olympic tournament already in Hong Kong. Let’s move forward step by step, training plans have been drawn up for all options.”

Agnis Chavars: “It’s a pleasure to feel the mood again, which was before the Tokyo Games. A huge amount of work has gone into it. We are not getting younger, so Francis and Sigmars are a good asset – power, speed. The main thing is that the Latvian team qualifies for the Olympic tournament.”

Nauris Miezis: “Let’s go to the square and gnaw the ground.”

National team training has been going on since mid-January. Played in test tournaments in France, Lithuania and Spain in different formations and under different names. In addition to the six Chinese drivers, Artūrs Strēlnieks, Mārcis Osis, Kristaps Čavars and Roberts Smildzejs also took part in trainings and games.

The first Universal Qualifying Tournament from April 12 to 14 in Hong Kong will feature 8 teams from countries that occupy the highest positions in the ranking table of FIBA ​​federations, excluding countries that have been represented in the last two Olympic Games in classical basketball. The winners of the tournament will receive a ticket to Paris.

In the first stage, the teams are divided into two groups and will play round-robin tournaments.

Latvian team’s schedule of matches in group B:

The teams of the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland and Hong Kong will play in Group A. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals

In the semi-finals on Sunday, April 14, at 11:30 a.m., the winners of group A will play the second team of group B, at 11:55 a.m. B1 will play against A2. The winners of the semi-final matches will determine the winners of the only tickets in the final match at 13:00.

Another ticket to the Olympic tournament will be won from May 3 to 5 in Japan, and the last three – from May 23 to 26 in Hungary.