The Minnesota Lynx will be heavily represented at the 2006 FIBA World Championships in Sao Paulo, Brazil, as four players have made the rosters of their respective countries: Seimone Augustus (USA), Svetlana Abrosimova (Russia), Kristi Harrower (Australia) and Nuria Martinez (Spain). Harrower and Martinez missed the entire 2006 WNBA season to train for the World Championships.

The 15th FIBA World Championship format will feature a round-robin competition in preliminary round play. The top three teams from each preliminary group advance to form two second round groups consisting of six teams each. Each team’s results against advancing teams from its preliminary group carries over to the second round standings, and each team will play the other three teams in the second round group whom they have not faced previously. The top four teams from those two groups will advance to the medal round quarterfinals. The gold and bronze medal games will be played Sept. 23.

The World Championship has been contested essentially every four years since 1953. The United States captured the first two gold medals before the beginning of the Soviet domination of women’s basketball at the 1959 World Championship. The former USSR put together a string of five straight golds (1959, 1964, 1967, 1971, 1975), before the United States reclaimed gold in 1979. The Soviet Union in 1983 earned its final World Championship crown as the USA went on to capture four of the next five World Championships (1986, 1990, 1998, 2002). The only other nation to break into the gold medal column at this event is Brazil, which defeated the USA in the 1994 semifinals and went on to take the top spot that year.

Preliminary round schedules are below:

Augustus and Team USA -
Sept. 12 vs. China; Sept. 13 vs. Nigeria; Sept. 14 vs. Russia

Abrosimova and Russia -
Sept. 12 vs. Nigeria; Sept. 13 vs. China; Sept. 14 vs. United States

Harrower and Australia -
Sept. 12 vs. Lithuania; Sept. 13 vs. Senegal; Sept. 14 vs. Canada

Martinez and Spain -
Sept. 12 vs. South Korea; Sept. 13 vs. Argentina; Sept. 14 vs. Brazil