Since the beginning of the Olympics, the main problem that the organisers are grappling with is empty seats at stadiums that have taken some glosses off from an otherwise glitzy event.
The scene of vacant rows at football stadiums, Wimbledon, the aquatic centre and beyond has angered Britons, who tried but failed to buy tickets as they were told that all events had been sold out.
Luckily for the organisers that at least one venue – the Basketball Arena – is free from this allegation as fans are queuing up there almost daily to see the NBA superstars in action, possibly for the last time.
Two decades after the USA dream team revolutionised international basketball, proposals have been tabled by the North American NBA to permit only players who are aged under-23 to compete at Rio de Janeiro 2016 onwards.
Many observers credit the Olympic basketball competition of 1992, when a team including superstars Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson charmed Barcelona, for inspiring the growth of the sport around the world.
The charm is still on as USA sent 11 NBA players to London and of the teams Tunisia is the only one without any player from the prestigious basketball league in their squad.
The owners of NBA teams, however, made a call to stop claiming their leading players as they are fatigued by the extra demands of national team duty. The idea has not received universal support, but still could be passed before the next Olympics.
In that case basketball will join football, where Olympic is a poor cousin to the World Cup. The change will mean a full-strength US team will only be seen at four-yearly FIBA World Cup and by 2016, the face of Olympic basketball will be changed forever.
Invented in 1891 at Springfield, Massachusetts, by James Naismith, a YMCA instructor from Canada whose parents were Scottish, basketball was first played by men at Berlin in 1936.
Since the beginning, US is the only country to win at least one medal in every Olympics except 1980 at Moscow which they boycotted. They have so far won 13 gold medals while their nearest rivals Soviet Union had only four.
Even US women basketball team is also a hit in Olympics, winning the gold medal on nine occasions. The US women team,
which has its every member a WNBA player, are well on course to extend their fifth consecutive titles when they thundered past Angola in their second match on Monday.
The atmosphere at the Basketball Arena was exciting if not electrifying during their match and no matter how it seemed to any stranger to the game from Bangladesh it was always expected.
Basketball offers more money than any other team sport and with every player a superstar across the Atlantic there is every reason for the game to draw similar crowd in every Olympics unless an age barrier for players handicap it.
-With New Age input
