Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
ABC News
ABC News
Sport

Opals announce Tess Madgen as FIBA Women's World Cup captain

Tess Madgen will captain the Opals at the upcoming FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup. 

The 32-year-old said it was a "huge honour" to captain her country.

"I'm going to be the best captain I can be," Madgen told Basketball Australia.

"We [the leadership group] wanted to lead by empowering everyone to be a leader and that's something I'm extremely passionate about.

"It's a huge honour and I'm really overwhelmed. I love the team, let's do this."

Madgen is a veteran of 65 matches since making her debut at the 2011 Oceania Championships.

She made her Olympic debut in Tokyo, where Australia reached the quarter-finals, losing to eventual gold medallists, the USA.

Opals coach Sandy Brondello said Madgen, who was part of the team that won World Cup silver in 2018, was a natural choice.

"This is a proud moment for Tess, not everyone gets to captain their country so I'm happy for her and I know that she'll do a great job in Sydney," Madgen said.

"The culture work that we've done has been so important to the team and Tess has been a big part of that.

"She has the respect from her peers, she fills whatever is required from the team and that shows a lot about the person she is."

Madgen will captain a squad that includes former skipper Lauren Jackson, who was named in the 12-player squad last month.

The Opals will play France in a pre-World Cup test event at the Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre on September 16, followed by a match against Belgium — who beat Australia at the Olympics last year — on September 18.

The 2022 World Cup campaign will start in Sydney on September 22.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.