WNBA to stop play during 2004 Olympics

The WNBA will not play the entire month of August, 2004 to break for the
2004 Athens Olympics.


http://msnbc.com/news/980828.asp

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The board of governors [of the NBA] decided Wednesday that the WNBA will
take a four-week break during its 2004 season for the Athens Olympics.
No WNBA games will be played Aug. 2-31; the Olympics are Aug. 13-29.
The gap at the beginning would allow national teams to practice.

WNBA commissioner Val Ackerman estimated 30 WNBA players would be
on Olympic teams, including most or all of the U.S. squad. The league will
resume on Sept. 1 and play through Sept. 19, followed by playoffs that could
run as late as Oct. 12. Usually, the WNBA is finished by mid-September.

Ackerman said the WNBA is working with USA Basketball to arrange a
preseason training camp for the U.S. Olympic team.
 "This gives our players the opportunity to train and travel and then return
to the WNBA," she said. "It's an extraordinary opportunity for the WNBA."

Ackerman is eager to see how the WNBA fares during the busiest time on the
sports calendar.
  "This is an opportunity to test how the league does as we go later into
fall," she said.

The WNBA still must decide whether teams will be allowed to practice during
the hiatus. The NHL limited practices while its players were participating
in the 1998 and 2002 Olympics, in part because the league worried such
practices could provide a competitive advantage for teams with few
Olympians.

NBA commissioner David Stern reiterated the league's support of the WNBA,
saying it "is here for the long run. It strengthens women's sports and helps
develop new fans for basketball."