The Centrobasket is a
FIBA-sponsored international
basketball tournament where national teams from
Central America and the
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
participate. These countries make up the Central American and Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CONCENCABA). The top three or four Women's National teams typically earn berths to the
FIBA Women's AmeriCup, from which they can qualify for the
FIBA Basketball World Cup
The FIBA Basketball World Cup, also known as the FIBA World Cup of Basketball or simply the FIBA World Cup, between 1950 and 2010 known as the FIBA World Championship, is an international basketball competition contested by the senior men's nat ...
or
Summer Olympics
The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...
. Teams qualify for these tournaments by finishing high (usually first or second place) in the previous Centrobasket or by placing high at the
FIBA COCABA Championship
The COCABA (Confederación Centroamericana de Baloncesto) championship is a regional basketball qualifying tournament and the first of four possible steps that Central American national teams have to participate in order to qualify for major in ...
for Mexico and the seven Central American countries and at the
FIBA CBC Championship for the 23 Caribbean countries. In total, 31 countries have an opportunity to qualify their national teams for Centrobasket, yet all of them do not enter teams regularly.
History
Celebration of the tournament typically is every two years. Initially played only in odd years, the tournament has, in recent years, it has moved to even years since 2004. The tournament was not held in either 1979 or 1983, but with those exceptions, the tournament has been held every other year, excepting for subsequent tournaments in 2003 and 2004.
Eight teams participate at the tournament, divided into two groups. The first round of the tournament consists of a round-robin, and then, in the second round, teams compete to define their final position at the tournament's standing.
Panama and Puerto Rico have been multiple medal winners at this event, both considered the strongest teams in the region, even though the Puerto Rican team almost never sends its best players for this competition (it mostly sends its second team). To date, Puerto Rico has earned large number of medals in every tournament that it has participated in.
Men's tournament
Summary
Performances by nation
Participation details
Women's tournament
Summary
Performances by nation
References
FIBA ArchivePanama HistoryPuerto Rico & Dominican Republic HistoryCuba FIBA HistoryVirgin Islands Partial History for first two competitionsCaribbean Basketball Confederation
{{International women's basketball
Basketball competitions in North America between national teams
Basketball competitions in Central America