The second team dominates Asia! Three consecutive championships and 18 straight wins, fans urge FIBA Asia: send Australia back to Oceania.

On August 19th, Beijing time, the FIBA Asia Cup ended. Defending champions Australia held off China’s late surge in the final and claimed a 90-89 victory, finishing the tournament undefeated in six games and once again taking the championship. Their dominance is truly impressive. Given how overwhelming Australia is in Asia, many fans are urging FIBA Asia to send Australia back to Oceania!

Australia entered this tournament as the reigning champions and dominated their way through the competition, winning every game by a large margin. In the semifinals, they crushed traditional powerhouse Iran by 44 points. Although they faced a tough challenge from China in the final and trailed by as much as 15 points, they relied on their strength to come from behind and edge out China 90-89, achieving a commanding third consecutive Asia Cup title and an impressive six-game winning streak. Once again, Australia stands atop Asian basketball!

It’s well known that Australia is an Oceania team, but since joining FIBA Asia in 2017, they have won all three Asia Cups they’ve entered, racking up 18 straight victories—a level of dominance even greater than Team USA’s. What’s even more remarkable is that Australia hasn’t even fielded their full-strength roster in these tournaments and still achieved such results. Imagine if they sent all their top players—their level would easily be among the world’s top five!

Australia’s latest Asia Cup triumph has sparked a lot of controversy, mainly because they are an Oceania team and not truly part of Asia. In fact, if China hadn’t beaten New Zealand, this tournament could have easily turned into an Oceania Cup, which would have been quite embarrassing for FIBA Asia!

Australia’s participation in Asian competitions has always been controversial. Some support it, arguing that facing a world-class team like Australia helps raise the level of Asian teams. Others oppose it, saying that Australia, as an Oceania nation, is simply too strong—even their second team can win the title, taking away honors that should belong to Asia. This seems to defeat the purpose of the competition. What’s your opinion—should Australia withdraw from Asian tournaments?

Written by/Sports Fiction