When Did Basketball Become An Olympic Sport

Jalen Rose

Updated on:

The First Olympic Basketball Tournament was Held in 1904, making it the first time basketball was an official Olympics sport. Basketball became an official Olympics sport at the Berlin Games in 1936, with the US Team taking home the inaugural title.

In 1992, women’s basketball made its debut as a medal event at the Barcelona Summer Olympics – and has since become one of America’s most popular sports. With so much history behind it, you can be sure that this year’s Olympic tournament will be nothing short of exciting.

Keep your eyes peeled for some amazing performances by some of your favorite athletes – and don’t forget to cheer them on during the live stream.

When Did Basketball Become An Olympic Sport?

The first Olympic basketball tournament was held in 1904. Basketball became an official Olympics sport at the Berlin Games in 1936. The US team won the first Olympic basketball title in 1948.

The Soviet Union and Yugoslavia both participated in the inaugural competition, but neither country managed to win a medal.. In 1980, Spain won its first-ever gold medal with a victory over the United States

The First Olympic Basketball Tournament was Held in 1904

Basketball became an Olympic sport in 1904. The first tournament was held in Athens, Greece. Spain won the inaugural championship game against Belgium. The USA has dominated the event since its inception, winning 44 out of 56 tournaments contested to date (83%).

As of 2016, Men’s and Women’s Basketball are both considered medal sports at the Olympics

Basketball Became an Official Olympics Sport at the Berlin Games in 1936

Basketball became an official Olympics sport in 1936 at the Berlin Games. The game has seen many changes since its inception, but it remains a popular spectator sport around the world.

Men and women compete on equal footing with athletes from nearly every country participating in international tournaments. With such a global popularity, there’s always something happening in the NBA or across international basketball competitions.

As one of the oldest sports still played at the highest level, basketball is sure to continue captivating spectators for years to come

The US Team Won the First Olympic Basketball Title

The history of basketball goes back to 1891 when the first international rules game was played. America dominated early on, winning all but one medal until 1936.

As the sport became more popular, teams from other countries started to compete and win medals. The USA finally won their first Olympic basketball title in 1992 with a team led by Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson.

Since then, other countries have continued to improve their squads and are now challenging for gold medals at every Olympics tournaments

To Recap

Basketball was first played as an Olympic sport in 1936. The original rules of the game were created by Dr. James Naismith, a Physical Education teacher at Springfield College in Massachusetts.

Photo of author

Jalen Rose

I am a sports analyst in USA and I have been writing about sports for more than a decade. My career started with writing about the NBA for my school newspaper. After that, I became the Sports Editor of my college paper, then the managing editor of my university’s official website. After graduating from college, I started working as an Assistant Sports Editor at the local newspaper in Atlanta. per. I've been there ever since and have had many opportunities to write about different aspects of sports journalism and interact with other writers and editors from all over the world. LinkedIn

Leave a Comment