As expected, South Kamloops Secondary graduate Kelly Olynyk is one of 20 players in the running to be part of Canada’s men’s basketball team at the Paris Olympics next month.
Olynyk – who captains the team – was one of several NBA stars named to the roster Wednesday, with training camp set to take place in Toronto between June 28 and July 7.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Andrew Wiggins, Jamal Murray, and RJ Barrett also headline the roster as Canada’s men’s team gears up for its first appearance at the Olympics since 2000, where they were beaten by France in the quarterfinals in Sydney.
“Each of these players is prepared to proudly represent our country in Paris, and we’re looking forward to regrouping next week in Toronto to begin what I believe will unify Canadians across the country this summer,” Rowan Barrett, the General Manager of Canada’s Senior Men’s Program, said, in a statement.
“This journey began in February 2020 with the FIBA AmeriCup Qualifiers, and I want to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to all our players, coaches and support staff across multiple teams, competition windows and tournaments that were instrumental in us getting to this point.”
Team Canada will have to trim its 20-man training camp roster to 12 players ahead of the Paris Games.
Our 20 🍁👊 https://t.co/0QqO494zqa pic.twitter.com/JWlorv19HG
— Canada Basketball (@CanBball) June 19, 2024
Following training camp, Canada will face the United States in an exhibition game in Las Vegas on July 10. They’ll also play exhibition games in Orléans, France against the French national team on July 19, and the winner of the Puerto Rico qualifying tournament on July 21.
Canada is coming off a historic 2023 where it won its first-ever medal at a FIBA World Cup, defeating the United States for bronze last September in the Philippines.
It qualified for the Olympics with a quarterfinal victory over Spain at the tournament.
“While winning bronze at the World Cup last summer was an important first step for our team, it also showed that we still have work to do as a group,” Head Coach Jordi Fernandez said.
“If you ask anyone within our team and program, we have a constant drive to improve and will work tirelessly throughout training camp and our exhibition schedule to fully prepare to achieve our ultimate goal at the Paris Olympics.”
The seventh-ranked Canadians are in Group A with Australia and the winners of Olympic qualifying tournaments in Spain and Greece.
They will open play against the Spain tournament winner on July 27 in Lille, France.
– With files from The Canadian Press