{"id":771384,"date":"2026-07-01T04:52:32","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T04:52:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/771384\/"},"modified":"2026-07-01T04:52:32","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T04:52:32","slug":"asia-pacific-heavyweights-unite-in-melbourne","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/771384\/","title":{"rendered":"Asia-Pacific heavyweights unite in Melbourne"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Opals\u2019 upcoming international series against China in will also feature the involvement of another major force in women\u2019s basketball, with Japan joining the training environment in Melbourne.<\/p>\n

While fans will see the Opals and China go head-to-head at John Cain Arena on 7 and 9 July, additional training preparations will also take place, with Japan taking part in a series of closed scrimmages and training sessions across the week.<\/p>\n

The inclusion of Japan creates a unique preparation opportunity for all three programs, bringing together three of the strongest nations in the Asia-Pacific region.<\/p>\n

Japan has long been one of the most respected and consistent programs in women\u2019s basketball, known for their speed and perimeter shooting, while China continues to establish itself as a powerhouse in the international game with their size, depth and physical presence.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Australia vs Japan | Highlights | FIBA Women’s Asia Cup 2025<\/p>\n

Basketball Australia\u2019s Executive General Manager of High Performance Jason Smith said the opportunity to have multiple international teams together in one environment would deliver significant benefits for the Opals program.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a really valuable opportunity for our athletes and staff to spend a week competing and training against high-quality international opposition,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving Japan involved alongside China creates a really strong performance environment for the Opals, with both teams bringing different styles, strengths and challenges that will be valuable for World Cup preparation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese kinds of international windows are important not only from a performance perspective, but also in continuing to grow strong relationships with other federations across our region.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve built really positive relationships with both China and Japan over the years and we\u2019re looking forward to welcoming them both to Melbourne for an exciting week of basketball.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Opals will face China at John Cain Arena on 7 & 9 July, with tickets available now via Ticketek.<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

This is the bit where Melbourne roars. Where winter belongs to the crowd, the clash, the edge-of-your-seat moments you feel in your chest.\u00a0 It’s\u00a0the scent of fresh coffee drifting out of laneway roasters, the neon-lit glow of hidden bars that feel like secrets, the sudden warmth of a gallery, a gig, a perfectly timed bowl of something slow-cooked and soul-filling. At Melbourne’s iconic sporting venues, the atmosphere is everything.\u00a0It’s\u00a0the shared chants, the collective gasps, the thrill of being part of something bigger than yourself.\u00a0Come winter in Melbourne, it\u2019s every bit different.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Opals\u2019 upcoming international series against China in will also feature the involvement of another major force in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":771385,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574],"tags":[64,63,726,85,83],"class_list":["post-771384","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-basketball","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-basketball","tag-sports","tag-text"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/771384","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=771384"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/771384\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/771385"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=771384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=771384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=771384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}