Basketball factbox for Athens 2004

ATHENS, July 6 (Reuters) -- Factbox on basketball at the August 13-29 Athens Olympics:

HISTORY

Basketball, which dates back to the 1890s, made its Olympic debut as a demonstration sport at the 1904 St Louis Games. The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) was formally recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1935, paving the way for the sport to be included as a men's event at the 1936 Berlin Olympics where the first gold medal was won by the United States.

Women's basketball joined the Games in 1976 in Montreal, where the gold medal was won by the Soviet Union.

In 1989, FIBA voted to abolish the distinction between amateurs and professionals, enabling some of the world's best players to take part in the 1992 Barcelona Games.

EVENTS

Men's and women's events

2000 CHAMPIONS

Men: United States

Women: United States

OLYMPIC PROGRAMME

August 14-23: Men's and women's preliminaries

August 24: Men's and women's classification matches for

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places nine to 12

August 25: Women's quarter-finals

August 26: Men's quarter-finals

August 27: Women's classification matches for places five to

eight

Women's semi-finals

Men's semi-finals

August 28: Men's classification matches for places five to

eight

Women's bronze-medal match

Women's final

Men's bronze-medal match

Men's final

VENUES

Preliminary rounds will be held in the 13,631-seat indoor

arena at the Helliniko Olympic Complex, one of three venues at the old Athens airport.

Quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals will be staged at the Olympic Indoor Hall, which can seat 19,250.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

www.fiba.com

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