Only the teams that qualified were allowed to bid for hosting. Venezuela were chosen over Angola, Macedonia and Lithuania.[1] The host was determined on a meeting of the FIBA Central Board held on 10–11 December 2011 in Madrid, Spain.
Participating nations
The teams were divided into three pots, corresponding to their continental zones: The draw was held on 31 January 2012 in Caracas.[2]
The teams were divided into four groups (Groups A-D) for the preliminary round.
Round robin for the preliminary round; the top two teams from each group advanced to the quarterfinals. The last-placed team in each group was eliminated.
A single-elimination tournament was then held; the quarterfinals pairings were:
A1 vs. B2
B1 vs. A2
C1 vs. D2
D1 vs. C2
The semifinal pairings were A1/B2 vs. C1/D2 and B1/A2 vs. D1/C2. The semifinal winners qualified for the Olympics. No championship game was held.
The semifinal losers played for the last Olympic qualifying berth.
