How Canada could send a record number of teams to the Tokyo Olympics
8 squads are already in, 2 more still have a shot to qualify
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Canada will be well represented in the various team sports at the Olympics this summer. Eight Canadian squads have qualified so far: men's and women's rugby sevens, women's soccer, women's basketball, women's water polo, women's softball, men's volleyball and men's field hockey. If one more gets in, Canada will match its national record for team-sport entries at a single Summer Olympics, set in 1976 in Montreal.
Two Canadian squads still have a shot to qualify for team-sport events in Tokyo. Here's a look at who they are and what they need to do:
Men's basketball
Canada's last-chance qualifying tournament runs June 29-July 4 in Victoria. Six teams are involved, and only the winner gets to go to Tokyo.
Canada is grouped with Greece and China for round-robin play. The other group has the Czech Republic, Turkey and Uruguay. The top two teams from both groups cross over for the semifinals, and the winners of those games play for the Olympic spot.
The Canadian team has two big advantages: it'll be playing on home soil, and it should have far more proven NBA players than any other country in the tournament. Star guards Jamal Murray and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are both out with injuries, but the roster should include Andrew Wiggins, Lu Dort, RJ Barrett, Dillon Brooks, Brandon Clarke, Kelly Olynyk, Tristan Thompson and a few other solid NBA players.
Greece has two-time reigning NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, but no other NBA stars. Unfortunately for them, the qualifier falls around the time the NBA conference finals should be taking place, and Giannis' Milwaukee Bucks still have a chance to reach them. The other four teams in the qualifier are very light on NBA talent.
If the Canadian men manage to qualify for the Olympics for the first time since Steve Nash led them to the 2000 Sydney Games, we know what their round-robin schedule will be in Tokyo. Canada would open against Iran on July 25 at 9 p.m. ET, then play France on July 28 at 8 a.m. ET, then face the United States' NBA players for the first time ever in the Olympics on July 31 at 8 a.m. ET.
Men's baseball
Canada is down to its final two strikes. Its next swing at qualifying for the six-team Olympic tournament will come at the Americas region qualifier May 31-June 5 in Florida. Only the winner gets a direct ticket to Tokyo, and the competition will be fierce with many strong baseball countries competing.
Canada is ranked 13th in the world and is grouped with No. 7 Cuba, No. 8 Venezuela and No. 14 Colombia for round-robin play. The other group is the No. 2 United States, No. 10 Dominican Republic, No. 11 Puerto Rico and No. 15 Nicaragua. The top two finishers in each group advance to the "super round," where they each play two more games and results from opening-round matchups between teams that are still alive carry over. The team with the best "super round" record wins the tournament and a spot in the Olympics.
In the (quite likely) event that Canada doesn't win the Americas qualifier, it can keep its Tokyo hopes alive by finishing second or third. Those teams earn a spot in the last-chance Olympic qualifying tournament in Taiwan taking place June 16-20. The other teams there will be China, Taiwan, Australia and the Netherlands. Only the winner goes to Tokyo.
