On 19th December 2019, it was announced that the IWBF Men’s U23 World Championship would be held in Chiba city, Japan. IWBF and JWBF are happy to confirm the World Championship for elite junior male athletes will take place between the second half of May 2022 to the first half of June 2022.
The Championship, which was originally scheduled for 2021, has been rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
To be eligible to compete, male players must be born on or after 1st January 1999. This is keeping the same age category as if the event was held in 2021 to ensure no players who would have been eligible in the previous year miss out.
IWBF Competition Commission Chairman, Charlie Bethel, said:
“The alteration of the originally proposed dates for the U23 World Championship was necessary due to the ongoing challenging circumstances the world is facing with regards to the COVID-19 pandemic. The competition calendar in 2021 was already very full before the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, so moving the U23 World Championship from 2021 to 2022 will help ensure that the Zones can host the relevant qualification tournaments and will assist countries’ preparations.”
The IWBF Men’s U23 World Championship is normally held every four years with 12 countries participating. The upcoming championship will be the 7th edition of the event and the first time it will be held in Asia. The previous championship took place in 2017 (Toronto, Canada), where Great Britain won gold and Japan finished fourth.
Detailed information and exact dates will be announced at a later date.
(Photo: Matthew Murnaghan/Wheelchair Basketball Canada)
