US domination set to continue

Charles Barkley in action in Atlanta

Since 1992, when the decision was taken to allow professionals to participate, Olympic men's basketball has been totally dominated by the US.

In that year, the so-called 'Dream Team' featured some of the biggest-paid and well-known athletes on the planet, including Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson.

That trend, continued in 1996 in Atlanta, is likely to extend to Sydney, where the other teams should find themselves battling it out for the silver and bronze medals, while the US, with players like Gary Payton and Jason Kidd, should coast it.

Basketball is played between two teams containing five players each. In the Olympics, it consists of two 20-minute halves.

The USA team are likely to be unstoppable again

The game stops whenever the referee blows his whistle to indicate a dead ball. If the game is tied at the end of the game then an extra five minutes 'overtime' is played.

Most baskets are worth two points, but a longer shot from behind an arced line 6.25 metres from the basket counts three.

Once a basket is scored, the ball passes to the opposition who start play out of bounds at the end of the court and pass it in-bounds.

They have 10 seconds in possession to cross the halfway line, otherwise the ball is given back to the opposition. In possession a side has 30 seconds before a shot must be made.

Basketball is supposed to be a non-contact sport, but is actually one of the most physical games there is.

  Did you know?

The first basketball competition in 1936 was an utter disaster. The rules included one that precluded players over 6 ft 2 inches in height and the game was played outdoors. The final was played in torrential rain, on a clay court also used for tennis. As a result ball wouldn't bounce and only 27 points were scored in total.

Referees do penalise players that bump, barge and shove an opponent and award the fouled player free throws, worth one point each.

If a player is fouled while trying to score a two-point shot, two free throws are awarded and if they are attempting a three-point score, then three throws are given.

After a team is punished for seven fouls in one half, then for the rest of that half, a free throw is awarded for any foul, regardless of whether the player was trying to shoot.

Players can, however, steal the ball out of the hands of their opponents as long as they do not make contact with the player himself.

Players dribble up the pitch, but once they stop they must keep one foot fixed to the floor and pass the ball within five seconds. The only exception is when they come to shoot, when they can take two steps after dribbling as they set-up to score a basket.

The Olympic tournament is seeded according to how the teams fared in the 1998 World Championships and the qualification rounds for the Games.

The 12 qualifiers are put into two groups of six and each team plays the other. The top four teams in each group advance to the quarter-finals where the tournament turns into a straight knock-out. The losing semi-finalists play-off for the bronze medal.

The US should win, easily. Britain did not qualify, while the best European hope lies with Yugoslavia.

They won the World Championships - the US suffered from a lack of professionals and a plethora of injuries - and should contest the final against the 'Dream Team'.

The women's tournament should be much more open, though the US will again be the favourites.

The hosts will be hoping to improve on their bronze medal in Atlanta, though the Brazilians will push them hard. The main European challenge should come from Russia.