Colorado Springs, CO (My Sportsbook) - Eight members of the 2008 Beijing Olympic gold medal winning women's basketball team will be back for a run at the next Olympic title.

USA Basketball has selected WNBA stars Sue Bird of Seattle, Indiana's Tamika Catchings, Phoenix's Diana Taurasi and Cappie Pondexter, Minnesota's Seimone Augustus, Chicago's Sylvia Fowles, Sacramento's Kara Lawson and Los Angeles' Candace Parker as the first eight members of the 2009-12 Women's National Team.

Four more players will be added to the 12-member roster that is expected to play for the United States at the 2010 World Championship and, if the Americans qualify, the 2012 Olympics.

"Naming these eight players was not that difficult of a decision to make, I'm sure, because those eight were truly instrumental in winning the Olympics in Beijing," said 2009-12 USA Basketball Women's National Team head coach Geno Auriemma of the University of Connecticut. "As long as they want to play and maintain their level of play, I can't see them not being on the team. I'm excited about the fact that their experience and their knowledge of what it takes to win a gold medal is going to help me tremendously as we move forward."

Bird, Catchings and Taurasi have been a part of two Olympic champion teams, while the other five were part of the 2008 Beijing gold medal winning effort.

The United States women's basketball team has won four straight Olympic gold medals.