Which teams in Bangkok are aiming for a first-time promotion to Division A?

BANGKOK (Thailand) - All of the teams in FIBA Women’s Asia Cup 2023 Division B have their eyes on the prize: winning the Final and gaining promotion to Division A.

Some teams have already been there. Others have only been able to come close or, moreover, it will be their first time ever playing in the competition.

Among the 8 teams playing in the tourney situated in Bangkok, Thailand from 13-19 August, there are 4 teams that have been determined but have yet to be able to clinch promotions, and also one more team that will be making their first appearance.

With the opportunity to make it to Division A for the first time, these teams will do their best in the upcoming games.

Disclaimer: The Women’s Asia Cup implemented the two-division format in 1994, which was previously referred to as Level 1 and Level 2 until 2017. The current promotion/relegation format is that the winner of the Final in Division B is promoted to Division A for the next edition of the competition, while the last-placed team in Division A is relegated to Division B for the next edition of the competition.

Indonesia

Indonesia have come close, but after 6 appearances in Division B, they haven’t been able to break into the Division A party just yet.

There’s plenty of hope, however, as the team are high in morale after winning their first gold medal in the South East Asian games - even beating Division A side Philippines, 89-68. They can build up on that success as there is an expected continuity in the squad.

Namely, the key piece is Kim Pierre-Louis who made her Women’s Asia Cup debut in 2021 where she averaged 19.2 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. That was enough to help get Indonesia all the way to the Semi-Finals, where they lost 76-62 to Lebanon who eventually went on to win in the Final.

Iran

In 2021, Iran made their first appearance in the Women’s Asia Cup since the two-division format was adopted (with one other appearance way back in 1974).

Don’t let the fact that they finished without a win in Amman fool you: Iran are competitive. They lost to eventual competition winners Lebanon by only 2 points, were defeated by 7 points against Syria, and were knocked out by aforementioned Indonesia by 8 points in the Qualification to Semi-Finals game.

Some key players from that run in 2021 could potentially be back whether it is Delaram Vakili, Sheida Shojaeikoohnehshahri, or the veteran Edna Eissaianjangi and that is always a good start for shaping up a competitive program - one that has an ambition of making it to Division A.

Jordan

They almost did it. Playing on their homecourt, the women’s national team of Jordan almost gained promotion to Division A in just their second appearance in a Women’s Asia Cup - the last time being in 1995.

Alas, there was not enough firepower to get them over the final hurdle which was Lebanon as they lost in the Final 80-40. However, leading up to that game, Jordan did collect decent wins over Kazakhstan and Indonesia.

Marya Al Hinn had an impressive campaign in 2021, averaging 12.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Her potential return to this year’s team will therefore be important for Jordan.

Sri Lanka

You have to give Sri Lanka credit for the continuous effort. They’ve played in nine Women’s Asia Cups since the two-division format started, among one of the most appearances between all teams in Bangkok.

Their journey, however, has been a bit rough. The last time they won a game was in 2001 against Macau and from there, it’s been a string of 29 straight defeats. It won’t be an easy task here in 2023 either as they are grouped with Kazakhstan, Jordan, and host Thailand.

Mongolia

Mongolia are making their first appearance ever in the Women’s Asia Cup. But don’t expect them to be pushovers.

If you’ve been paying attention to Mongolia basketball, they’ve made it a point to make a strong first impression in this past year. The senior men’s national team played for the first time ever in FIBA Asia and qualified for the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers. The youth women’s team made their first appearance in the U18 Asian Championship since 2002 and almost made it all the way to Division A in an impressive run.

Expect this Women’s Asia Cup team to quickly turn heads as well. They will be a young team that could have U18 standouts Nyamjan Nandinkhusel and Bolor Erdene Battsooj, but have the potential to be a very good team.

At the very least, they will be very well prepared, already deep in preparations in China with the China women’s national team program - one that recent won the Women’s Asia Cup less than a month ago in Sydney.

FIBA