Final Standings
| Place | Country | P | W | L |
| 1 | United States of America | 8 | 8 | 0 |
| 2 | France | 7 | 5 | 2 |
| 3 | Brazil | 8 | 7 | 1 |
| 4 | Mexico | 7 | 5 | 2 |
| 5 | Uruguay | 8 | 5 | 3 |
| 6 | Chile | 8 | 4 | 4 |
| 7 | Czechoslovakia | 8 | 5 | 3 |
| 8 | Korea | 8 | 3 | 5 |
| 9 | Canada | 8 | 6 | 2 |
| 10 | Peru | 8 | 4 | 4 |
| 11 | Belgium | 8 | 5 | 3 |
| 12 | Philippines | 8 | 4 | 4 |
| 13 | Cuba | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| 14 | Iran | 7 | 2 | 5 |
| 15 | Argentina | 8 | 4 | 4 |
| 16 | Hungary | 8 | 3 | 5 |
| 17 | Italy | 8 | 4 | 4 |
| 18 | China | 8 | 5 | 3 |
| 19 | Egypt | 7 | 2 | 5 |
| 20 | Great Britain | 8 | 1 | 7 |
| 21 | Switzerland | 8 | 2 | 6 |
| 22 | Iraq | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| 23 | Ireland | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Final Round
| Date | Home Team | Away Team | ||
| 21st-22nd Place | ||||
| 12.08.1948 | Switzerland | 2 | Iraq | 0 # |
| 19th-20th Place | ||||
| 12.08.1948 | Great Britain | 18 | Egypt | 50 |
| 13th-14th Place | ||||
| 12.08.1948 | Cuba | 70 | Iran | 36 |
| 11th-12th Place | ||||
| 12.08.1948 | Belgium | 38 | Philippines | 34 |
| 9th-10th Place | ||||
| 12.08.1948 | Canada | 49 | Peru | 43 |
| Final | ||||
| 13.08.1948 | United States of America | 65 | France | 21 |
| 15th-16th Place | ||||
| 13.08.1948 | Argentina | 2 | Hungary | 0 # |
| 17th-18th Place | ||||
| 13.08.1948 | China | 38 | Italy | 54 |
| 7th-8th Place | ||||
| 13.08.1948 | Czechoslovakia | 39 | Korea | 38 |
| 5th-6th Place | ||||
| 13.08.1948 | Uruguay | 50 | Chile | 32 |
| 3rd-4th Place | ||||
| 13.08.1948 | Brazil | 52 | Mexico | 47 |
Semi-Final Round
| Date | Home Team | Away Team | ||
| 17th-20th Semi-Finals | ||||
| 10.08.1948 | Italy | 35 | Egypt | 33 |
| 11.08.1948 | China | 54 | Great Britain | 25 |
| 9th-12th Semi-Finals | ||||
| 10.08.1948 | Peru | 40 | Philippines | 29 |
| 10.08.1948 | Canada | 45 | Belgium | 40 |
| 1st-4th Semi-Finals | ||||
| 11.08.1948 | United States of America | 71 | Mexico | 40 |
| 11.08.1948 | Brazil | 33 | France | 43 |
Classification
| Date | Home Team | Away Team | ||
| 21st-23rd Classification | ||||
| 10.08.1948 | Ireland | 12 | Switzerland | 51 |
| 13th-16th Classification | ||||
| 10.08.1948 | Cuba | 35 | Argentina | 34 |
| 12.08.1948 | Iran | 2 | Hungary | 0 # |
| 5th-8th Classification | ||||
| 11.08.1948 | Czechoslovakia | 36 | Chile | 38 |
| 11.08.1948 | Uruguay | 45 | Korea | 36 |
Quarter-Final Round
| Date | Home Team | Away Team | ||
| 17th-23rd Quarter-Finals | ||||
| 07.08.1948 | Italy | 77 | Iraq | 28 |
| 09.08.1948 | China | 42 | Switzerland | 34 |
| 11.08.1948 | Belgium | 2 | Hungary | 0 # |
| 9th-16th Quater-Finals | ||||
| 07.08.1948 | Cuba | 40 | Peru | 45 |
| 07.08.1948 | Canada | 81 | Iran | 25 |
| 07.08.1948 | Great Britain | 46 | Ireland | 21 |
| 07.08.1948 | Argentina | 43 | Philippines | 45 |
| 1st-8th Quarter-Finals | ||||
| 09.08.1948 | Brazil | 28 | Czechoslovakia | 23 |
| 09.08.1948 | Chile | 52 | France | 53 |
| 09.08.1948 | Mexico | 43 | Korea | 32 |
| 09.08.1948 | Uruguay | 28 | United States of America | 63 |
Group Standings
| P | W | L | Pts | |
| Group A | ||||
| Brazil | 5 | 5 | 0 | 10 |
| Uruguay | 5 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| Canada | 5 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| Hungary | 5 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| Italy | 5 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| Great Britain | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Group B | ||||
| Chile | 5 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| Korea | 5 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| Belgium | 5 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| Philippines | 5 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| China | 5 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| Iraq | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Group C | ||||
| Unites States of America | 5 | 5 | 0 | 10 |
| Czechoslovakia | 5 | 4 | 1 | 8 |
| Argentina | 5 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| Peru | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Egypt | 5 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| Switzerland | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Group D | ||||
| Mexico | 4 | 4 | 0 | 8 |
| France | 4 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| Cuba | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Iran | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Ireland | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Group Results
| Date | Home Team | Away Team | ||
| Group A | ||||
| 30.07.1948 | Brazil | 45 | Hungary | 41 |
| 30.07.1948 | Uruguay | 69 | Great Britain | 17 |
| 30.07.1948 | Canada | 55 | Italy | 37 |
| 31.07.1948 | Uruguay | 32 | Brazil | 36 |
| 31.07.1948 | Canada | 44 | Great Britain | 24 |
| 31.07.1948 | Italy | 19 | Hungary | 32 |
| 02.08.1948 | Great Britain | 11 | Brazil | 76 |
| 02.08.1948 | Canada | 36 | Hungary | 37 |
| 03.08.1948 | Italy | 34 | Uruguay | 46 |
| 04.08.1948 | Great Britain | 28 | Italy | 49 |
| 04.08.1948 | Hungary | 31 | Uruguay | 49 |
| 04.08.1948 | Canada | 35 | Brazil | 57 |
| 05.08.1948 | Hungary | 60 | Great Britain | 23 |
| 05.08.1948 | Brazil | 47 | Italy | 31 |
| 05.08.1948 | Canada | 52 | Uruguay | 50 |
| Group B | ||||
| 30.07.1948 | Philippines | 102 | Iraq | 30 |
| 30.07.1948 | Belgium | 27 | Korea | 29 |
| 30.07.1948 | China | 39 | Chile | 44 |
| 31.07.1948 | Iraq | 18 | Chile | 100 |
| 31.07.1948 | Korea | 33 | Philippines | 35 |
| 02.08.1948 | Belgium | 34 | China | 36 |
| 03.08.1948 | Philippines | 39 | Chile | 68 |
| 03.08.1948 | Iraq | 20 | Belgium | 98 |
| 03.08.1948 | Korea | 48 | China | 49 |
| 04.08.1948 | Chile | 36 | Belgium | 38 |
| 04.08.1948 | Korea | 120 | Iraq | 20 |
| 04.08.1948 | Philippines | 51 | China | 32 |
| 05.08.1948 | Philippines | 34 | Belgium | 35 |
| 06.08.1948 | China | 125 | Iraq | 25 |
| 06.08.1948 | Korea | 28 | Chile | 21 |
| Group C | ||||
| 30.07.1948 | United States of America | 86 | Switzerland | 21 |
| 30.07.1948 | Czechoslovakia | 38 | Peru | 30 |
| 31.07.1948 | Argentina | 57 | Egypt | 38 |
| 02.08.1948 | Peru | 52 | Egypt | 27 |
| 02.08.1948 | Switzerland | 23 | Argentina | 49 |
| 02.08.1948 | United States of America | 53 | Czechoslovakia | 28 |
| 03.08.1948 | Switzerland | 19 | Peru | 49 |
| 03.08.1948 | United States of America | 59 | Argentina | 57 |
| 03.08.1948 | Czechoslovakia | 52 | Egypt | 38 |
| 04.08.1948 | United States of America | 66 | Egypt | 28 |
| 05.08.1948 | Czechoslovakia | 54 | Switzerland | 28 |
| 05.08.1948 | Argentina | 32 | Peru | 34 |
| 06.08.1948 | Egypt | 31 | Switzerland | 29 |
| 06.08.1948 | United States of America | 61 | Peru | 33 |
| 06.08.1948 | Argentina | 41 | Czechoslovakia | 45 |
| Group D | ||||
| 31.07.1948 | Iran | 30 | France | 62 |
| 31.07.1948 | Mexico | 39 | Cuba | 31 |
| 02.08.1948 | Mexico | 71 | Ireland | 9 |
| 02.08.1948 | Cuba | 31 | France | 37 |
| 03.08.1948 | Mexico | 50 | France | 42 |
| 04.08.1948 | Ireland | 22 | Iran | 49 |
| 05.08.1948 | Mexico | 68 | Iran | 27 |
| 05.08.1948 | Ireland | 25 | Cuba | 88 |
| 06.08.1948 | Iran | 30 | Cuba | 63 |
| 06.08.1948 | France | 73 | Ireland | 14 |
Report
Ireland finished in 23rd and last place in the 1948 Olympic Games Basketball Tournament, losing all six games, although they were drawn in a tough group that included eventual Semi-Finalists France and Mexico (France went on to meet the mighty United States of America in the Final).
It was the only time an Ireland team represented the country at the Olympic Games in a team sport until the 21st Century when the Hockey team did so. Although the Amateir Basketball Association had only just been founded in 1945, the authorities decided to take advantage of the Olympic Games being held in London.
Most of the players came from the Army, who were most prominent in Irish Basketball at the time, having played the sport since the 1920s (the army was the only place that had gyms at the time). While the resulting report given to the Army authorities said it was a valuable learning experience and Ireland could do quite well at the next Olympics, it was not until a couple of decades later that Ireland entered the International arena again.
The Irish team had been using a ball that was more like a cross between a medicine ball and a Gaelic football than a basketball, and were using an outdated version of the rules, having self-isolated during the 1930s and 1940s due to World War II. Although outclassed by superior opponents in Mexico and France, Irish players were picking up moves they learnt during the tournament and executing them well during play towards the end.
Ireland Team: 3. Donald O’Donovan 4. Frank O’Connor 5. Tommy Mallon 6. Patrick Crehan 7. Jimmy McGee 8. Bill Jackson 9. Harry Boland 10. Tommy Keenan 12. Donald Sheriff 13. Daniel Reddin 14. Paddy Sheriff 15. Jim Flynn 16. Christy Walsh
References
Websites
[1] FIBA (2016) Schedule & Results | 1948 Olympic Games [Internet] Available from: http://archive.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/event/p/sid/2932/tid/305/schedule.html [Accessed 25 July 2016]
[2] FIBA (2016) Group Standings [Internet] Available from: http://archive.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/event/p/sid/2932/tid/305/group-standing.html [Accessed 25 July 2016]
[3] FIBA (2016) Ireland [Internet] Available from: http://archive.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/team/p/sid/2932/tid/305/_/1948_Olympic_Games_Tournament_for_Men/index.html [Accessed 25 July 2016]
[4] History Ireland (2012) Ireland ‘slam-dunked’: basketball at the 1948 games [Internet] Available from: https://www.historyireland.com/20th-century-contemporary-history/ireland-slam-dunked-basketball-at-the-1948-games/ [Accessed 30 April 2020]
Images
[5] 1st Dibs (2020) Olympic Games 1948 Poster [Internet] Available from: https://a.1stdibscdn.com/archivesE/upload/a_436/1508595396776/PS0745_org.jpg [Accessed 30 April 2020]
[6] History Ireland (2012) Ireland ‘slam-dunked’: basketball at the 1948 games [Internet] Available from: https://www.historyireland.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Ireland-%E2%80%98slam-dunked%E2%80%99-basketball-at-the-1948-games-1.jpg [Accessed 30 April 2020]
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Mike Tully and Rob Gihbu
About this document
Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the
Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive
Last Updated: 30 April 2020
(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2020
You are free to copy this document in whole or part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Reserved.