Cairns Convention Centre the main stage for basketball action


TNQ basketball fans are in for a booming good few days of world-class action on the court when the Boomers line up against some of the Commonwealth's best athletes at the Cairns Convention Centre next year.

The draw for the 2018 Commonwealth Games pool basketball games to be played in Cairns have been announced with the Australian men's team set to tip-off its campaign on April 6 against Canada.

Australia is ranked 10th in the world and will compete in Pool A against Nigeria (16), New Zealand (20) and Canada (24).

Cairns will also host Pool B in the women's competition featuring Jamaica, India, New Zealand and Malaysia.



The Cairns Convention Centre is working closely with the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee and the International Basketball Federation to ensure everything will be right to go come April next year with centre boss Ross Steele saying fans should be excited about the chance to see the pool games.

"It is a really good opportunity to se a high level of international basketball that is seen very often in Cairns," he said.

"The Commonwealth Games basketball will bring something special to Cairns and help put the city and the centre on the map."

Ross said the requirements of the Games and international basketball regulations would limit crowds to smaller than those seen at regular Taipans home games but he said there were plenty of tickets avaiable and he expected seating to be available for about 4000 people to attend each game.

Cairns Convention Centre staff are also excited about the opportunity to host a major international sporting event in Tropical North Queensland.

"This is different from the normal business of the centre," he said.

"It is a major event with an organising committee such as the G20 and Pacific Islands Forum and we really love doing them.

"This is a chance to showcase what the centre can do and also to showcase Cairns as a destination to host these types of events."

For more information on the 2018 Commonwealth Games basketball draw for games in Cairns and Townsville, click here.

Tickets to the Commonwealth Games basketball matches in Cairns can be bought here.