Banchi thinks FIBA and the Olympic Committee should come together to increase the number of participants in the Olympics.
The Latvian national team handily lost against Brazil in front of their ever-cheering crowd of home fans in Riga, also losing the opportunity to play in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games for the first time in almost nine decades.
After the game, Latvia's head coach, Luca Banchi, expressed his love for the fans and admired how far Latvian basketball has come in the past several years, ultimately resulting in a 5th-placed finish in last year's FIBA World Cup and a no. 6 ranking in the world.
Similarly to Latvia, a number of highly-ranked squads will not make it to the Olympics this year. With only 12 teams making the cut, a plethora of strong teams will not have the chance to enjoy the thrill and excitement of experiencing the Olympic Games firsthand.
"That tournament is too selective. If I compare the tendencies of how FIBA is organizing basketball events, I agree," Banchi said when BasketNews asked whether the number of teams that make it to the Olympics should be increased seeing how similar changes helped spread basketball worldwide throughout the years after they were first implemented in EuroBasket and later in the World Cup.
Latvia, Croatia, Turkiye, Italy, will not play in the Olympics despite being considered as some of the strongest teams in the continent. After winning the OQT, Greece made it to the Olympics for the first time in 16 years despite being one of the top European powerhouses consistently throughout the years.
One the other side of the Atlantic, Argentina, who previously played in five straight Olympics, will not make it as well after falling to the Bahamas in the Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament last year.
"We expect to create as much exposure as possible from the Olympics. When we were talking about this disappointing moment of not qualifying for the Olympics after a final against Brazil, you see how many teams [don't make it], especially in Europe, which is probably the continent that suffered the most [because of the] limited number of teams [that make it]," Banchi said.
"You see incredible teams. Tonight, one between Croatia and Greece will be out. There are other big teams like Lithuania, Spain, who still are in action, wishing to qualify for the Olympics. There are other amazing, powerful countries like Turkiye, Italy. Argentina [as well] but I talk only about European countries to understand how many countries are not in the Olympics. I think it's something they can consider."
"I don't know if FIBA needs to come together with the Olympic Committee to find a way to expand the number of countries because I believe the Olympics is something that can contribute to the spread of basketball in a wider platform than only 12 teams," Banchi concluded.
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