Basketball at the 1976 Summer Olympics — international basketball tournament
The 1976 Montreal Olympics marked the first time women's basketball was contested as an official Olympic event.
Key Facts
- Olympic appearance (basketball)
- 9th official Olympic basketball event
- Dates
- July 18–July 27, 1976
- Men's gold medalist
- United States (defeated Yugoslavia)
- Women's gold medalist
- Soviet Union (defeated United States)
- Historic first
- Women's basketball introduced to Olympic program
- Venues
- Centre Étienne Desmarteau & Montreal Forum
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Growing international participation in women's basketball and advocacy for gender equity in Olympic sports led the International Olympic Committee to approve women's basketball as an official medal event ahead of the 1976 Games, the ninth time basketball appeared on the Olympic program.
Basketball competitions were held from July 18 to July 27, 1976, at two Montreal venues. The United States defeated Yugoslavia for the men's gold medal, while the Soviet Union defeated the United States to claim the inaugural women's gold medal, marking a historic expansion of the Olympic basketball program.
The inclusion of women's basketball at the 1976 Olympics established a permanent place for the sport in the Games, providing a global platform that spurred the development of women's basketball worldwide and set a precedent for continued expansion of women's events in future Olympic programs.
Result
at Centre Étienne Desmarteau & Montreal Forum, Montreal