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canada's olympic shot at revenge over france nearly 25 years in making
canada has had dreams crushed by france in 2000 and 2016
aug 5 2024
2 minute read
steve nash celebrates canada’s come-from-behind win over yugoslavia at the olympics in 2000. canada drew france in the knockout stage, just as they have in 2024.
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postmedia files
nearly a quarter of a century ago now, france dealt canada a crushing blow on the international basketball stage.
canada had been the surprise of the sydney basketball tournament in 2000, clobbering host australia and beating powerhouse yugoslavia and emerging spain on the way to a 4-1 start. but while avoiding the americans was good, the less valuable reward for topping group b was a date with france and the steve nash-led ride came to an end there with a 68-63 loss. the stirring run was over, with no medal.
it would be 24 more years until canada reached an olympics in men’s basketball. this year’s group has made good on the return, going 3-0 in the toughest group at the tournament. the reward? why it’s a date tuesday with host france, a team led by the new face of the nba, 7-foot-4 phenom victor wembanyama and one of three players to ever win four defensive player of the year awards, rudy gobert. lose and history repeats itself. canada will be remembered from these olympics as a good story, but not a medalist. win, and there will be a chance to get to the gold medal game, or, at least the bronze.
canada avoided the favoured americans, as well as three-time nba mvp nikola jokic and serbia. serbia easily handled canada at last year’s fiba world cup even without jokic in the lineup and ended up with silver. however, once medals become closer to reality at the olympics, there are no easy games. first it will be france, and then, if canada earns its revenge, it’s either two-time mvp giannis antetokounmpo, who has probably been the most dominant player in france so far and greece, who played a tough game against canada to open these games, or, more likely, germany, the world cup gold medalists.
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but canada would best not look too far ahead. france is a worthy opponent, one that will be backed by raucous home court support, the fearsome duo inside and a number of heady veterans. plus there was that stunning 30-point drubbing canada laid on france last summer. they won’t lack for motivation either.
tony parker (c) of france lays-up against melvin ejim of canada during their game at the 2016 fiba olympic men’s qualifying basketball tournament in manila on july 10, 2016. / afp photo / ted aljibe
if revenge for 2000 isn’t enough motivation for canada, there was also 2016. back when the olympic drought was only 16 years and counting, canada and france found there way to the final of a last-chance rio olympics qualifying tournament. only one team would head to brazil and once again france crushed canada’s hopes. tony parker’s swan song for his country was a great game and canada was left bitterly disappointed again. veteran forwards khem birch and melvin ejim were on that canadian team, as was a teenage guard who would go on to become one of the best players in the world, shai gilgeous-alexander. surely he remembers that stinging loss, even if he wasn’t yet in the rotation, let alone a star. france still rosters nic batum and nando de colo if canada’s looking for familiar faces on the other side.
given the history, it feels somewhat appropriate that canada ended up with france in its biggest game in 24 years. many demons were exorcised last summer when canada beat some of the best teams in the world on the way to bronze at the world cup and now it’s time to put some other bad memories to rest.
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