China unveils squad for women's basketball Olympic qualifiers

BEIJING, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- China announced Wednesday its squad for the upcoming FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

The 12 players to represent China in the Olympic qualifiers are Li Yuan, Wang Siyu, Wu Tongtong, Yang Liwei, Yang Shuyu, Li Meng, Zhang Ru, Huang Sijing, Pan Zhenqi, Luo Xinyu, Li Yueru and Han Xu.

Compared to its roster which finished runner-up at the 2022 FIBA Women's World Cup, China made two changes, with Luo and Yang Shuyu replacing Jin Weina and Dilana Dilixiati.

A total of 16 teams will participate in one of four global FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournaments taking place from February 8-11, with 12 of them to qualify for the Paris Olympic Games.

China will face New Zealand, France and Puerto Rico at home. As France has automatically secured a place at the Olympic Games as the host, China will vie with the other two teams for two Olympic tickets on offer.