Tall Ferns plunge in world rankings

The Tall Ferns have plummeted to 22nd in the basketball world rankings but the men's team have held steady at 18th.

Both sides failed in bids to qualify for the London Olympics but it was the women's team who suffered most as the rankings are based on an eight-year cycle.

It means the strong results that saw them qualify for the 2004 Athens Olympics have been dropped, resulting in a fall of six places for the Tall Ferns from 16th on the world list.

The Tall Blacks held firm despite being passed by Croatia (16th) and Nigeria (17th). That was countered by Puerto Rico's slide from 16th to 19th and Italy's freefall from seventh to 21st.

The top five men's teams are unchanged following the London Olympics.

The United States lead from beaten finalists Spain, followed by Argentina, Greece and Lithuania.

Australia climb to second in the women's rankings behind the Olympic champion USA team, with Russia third.

Overall Medal Count

Rank Country Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 United States 46 29 29 104
2 China 38 27 23 88
3 Great Britain 29 17 19 65
4 Russia 24 26 32 82
5 South Korea 13 8 7 28
6 Germany 11 19 14 44
7 France 11 11 12 34
15 New Zealand 6 2 5 13

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