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The FIBA Americas executive committee will decide on Thursday between San Juan and Las Vegas, Nevada, as host for the 2007 tournament to decide qualifiers for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The FIBA Americas executive committee will decide on Thursday between San Juan and Las Vegas, Nevada, as host for the 2007 tournament to decide qualifiers for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

FIBA Americas announced that timetable here on Tuesday, adding that the process would not include a candidate from Venezuela, which had been slated to host the event but missed financial deadlines of the regional basketball governing body.

With reigning Olympic champions Argentina and the United States team of top National Basketball Association players trying to qualify for Beijing through the event, next August's Tournament of the Americas will have a high profile.

Venezuela did not submit a proposal to be considered a host in the new bidding process, ending a potentially troublesome situation for the US team playing in a nation whose president dubbed US President George W. Bush a devil.

US NBA players trained in Las Vegas before competing at this year's World Championship and the US gambling mecca is believed to have a well-financed bid to give the NBA standouts a home-court edge in the Olympic qualifier.

Ten teams will play for two berths at the 2008 Olympics and while Argentina and the US NBA stars will be favored, Puerto Rico and Brazil will be among those poised to try and fight their way into the field at Beijing.

The US NBA stars will have a path to the Beijing Olympics even if they fail to reach the Americas final.

Teams placing third through fifth in the event will enter a qualifying tournament set to be staged in 2008 that would determine the final three nations in the 12-team Olympic tournament.

Host China and Spain, winner of the world championship last month in Japan, have already booked berths in Beijing. The US team beat Argentina for third in the world tournament.

(AFP October 18, 2006)