Japan men's basketball coach Thomas Wisman was relieved of his duties on Wednesday, the Japan Basketball Association announced.
The decision to fire Wisman was finalized at a JBA executive board meeting on Wednesday. The national team's failure to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics was cited as one factor in Wisman's dismissal.
Japan hasn't qualified for Olympic men's basketball competition since the 1976 Montreal Summer Games. Wisman's squad placed seventh at the 2011 FIBA Asia Men's Basketball Championship in China.
Wisman was hired as the Japan national team coach in May 2010 after leading the Link Tochigi Brex to a JBL championship in the 2009-10 season. He has also led the JBL's now-defunct Isuzu Motors squad (1997-2002), and previously served as the bench boss for the Britain and Malaysian national teams.
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