| 1st Olympic Basketball Tournament | |||||||||
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| Berlin 1936 | |||||||||
| Tournament details | |||||||||
| Olympics | 1936 Summer Olympics | ||||||||
| Host nation | Germany | ||||||||
| City | Berlin | ||||||||
| Duration | August 7–14 | ||||||||
| Men's tournament | |||||||||
| Teams | 21 | ||||||||
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| Tournaments | |||||||||
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| Basketball at the 1936 Summer Olympics | |
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| Tournament | |
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Basketball at the 1936 Summer Olympics was the first appearance of the sport of basketball as an official Olympic medal event. The tournament was played between 7 August and 14 August 1936 in Berlin, Germany. 23 nations entered the competition, making basketball the largest tournament of the team sports, but Hungary and Spain withdrew, meaning 21 competed.
The International Olympic Committee and International Basketball Federation, which is the governing body of international basketball, used the 1936 tournament to experiment with outdoor basketball. Lawn and dirt tennis courts were used for the competition, but this caused problems when the weather was adverse, especially during the final of the tournament.
The medals were awarded by James Naismith, the inventor of basketball. The United States won its first gold medal, while Canada and Mexico won silver and bronze, their only medals in basketball, as of 2024.