The squad for the Australian women’s basketball team, the Seven Consulting Opals, has been selected ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Similarly to the Australian men’s basketball team, an initial 26-strong squad participated in training camps and domestic and international trial games against other Olympic-bound countries to prove they had what it takes to represent Australia on the world stage in order to be selected for the final 12-player squad.

The Opals played their first match on July 29 at Lille Stadium. The Aussie team was devastated after a surprising 75-62 loss to Nigeria, putting their 2024 Olympic medal hopes at risk.

“It’s not good enough, it’s not Opals basketball. We need to learn from it and move on, and we need to get the next two wins,” Opal Steph Talbot said.

How many medals has the Australian women’s basketball team won at the Olympics?

The Australian women’s basketball team is currently ranked number three in the world and has previously won three silver and two bronze medals at the Olympics. All of these medals were claimed at five consecutive Olympic Games between 1996 and 2012.

Sadly at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the Opals were unable to replicate this success and placed 5th and 8th out of 12. They did however win a bronze medal at the FIBA Women’s World Cup, which took place in Sydney in September 2022.

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games is the tenth that the Australian women’s basketball team has competed in.

Who is in the Australian women’s basketball team Olympic Squad?

The initial 26-player squad included several returning Olympians as well as members of the FIBA 2022 World Cup team and players who competed in the 2023 – 2024 Cygnett WNBL season.

The Seven Consulting Opals Paris Olympic Squad consists of Rebecca Allen, Zitina Aokuso, Georgia Amoore, Amy Atwell, Chloe Bibby, Isobel Borlase, Keely Froling, Darcee Garbin, Cayla George, Shyla Heal, Lauren Jackson, Alice Kunek, Tess Madgen, Ezi Magbegor, Anneli Maley, Jade Melbourne, Lauren Nicholson, Stephanie Reid, Maddison Rocci, Lauren Scherf, Alex Sharp, Alanna Smith, Allana Smith, Stephanie Talbot, Marianna Tolo, Kristy Wallace and Sami Whitcomb.

This then got cut down to a squad of just 12 players. Here is the Australian women’s basketball team competing at the Paris 2024 Olympics: Lauren Jackson, Cayla George, Marianna Tolo, Tess Madgen, Rebecca Allen, Ezi Magbegor, Alanna Smith, Steph Talbot, Kristy Wallace, Sami Whitcomb, Jade Melbourne and Isobel Borlase.

Before making their final cut, the Opals Head Coach Sandy Brondello said selecting the final squad would be “very difficult.”

“It’s always an exciting time to announce an Olympic squad and I congratulate all the athletes. They all know what it means to play for Australia, and they all want the opportunity to represent their country at an Olympics,” she shared in a statement in mid-April.

How does the women’s basketball Olympic tournament work?

In the first round of the women’s basketball Olympic tournament, the Opals play against Pool B which consists of host nations France, Canada, and Nigeria. 

If the Opals rank in the top two teams within this group they will then advance to the quarterfinals. 

Alternatively, the two best third-place teams from all four groups will also progress, offering the Opals another route to the next stage of the tournament. 

From there, knockout rounds will occur before the winners then progress to the semi-final. The two teams that secure victory in those matches will play against each other in the gold medal game while the losers will take to the court for the bronze medal.

The USA is the reigning Olympic champion and has won the gold medal in the women’s Olympic basketball tournament every year since 1992.

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After completing a Bachelor of Media majoring in Journalism and Non-Fiction writing, Elizabeth began working in radio both as an executive producer and presenter of both breakfast and drive radio programs.

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