Final Standings at Tokyo 2020 confirms Zonal Spots for World Championships

It was a thrilling two weeks of wheelchair basketball at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and as the teams fought it out for a place on the podium, the placing games were also meaningful with spots for the 2022 World Championships at stake.

The final standings of both competitions determine the allocation of extra Zonal spots for the World Championships set to take place in Dubai, UAE next year. In the women’s competition, the top seven teams would secure extra places for their zone, whilst in the men’s it was the top 11.

At the 2022 World Championships, there will be 16 teams in the men’s competition and 12 teams in the women’s competition.

The host nation is allocated a spot for both men’s and women’s teams, then each of the four zones are awarded one place each in both competitions.

The remaining eleven places in the men’s competition and seven places in the women’s competition are decided from the final rankings of the last Paralympic Games, in this case, Tokyo 2020.

The final standings of the men’s competition at Tokyo 2020 saw the Americas Zone USA teams finish in the top spot, with fellow Zonal counterparts’ Canada and Colombia coming in eight and eleventh, to give them an additional three spots.  Asia Oceania’s Japan, Australia, Korea and Iran all finished in the top 11 to secure an extra four places for their zone taking their total up to six (including host spot for UAE). Europe also finishes with four extra places to take their total up to five places. An African team did not make the top eleven which means they have just one automatic spot.

Men’s Final Standings

1. USA
2. Japan
3. Great Britain
4. Spain
5. Australia
6. Turkey
7. Germany
8. Canada
9. Iran
10. Korea
11. Colombia
12. Algeria

In the women’s competition, Europe had a strong representation in the top seven to add a further three qualification spots for their Zone. China and Japan secured the Asia Oceania Zone two extra spots. Americas also added two extra spots with the USA and Canada finishing in third and fifth. An African team did not make the top seven, so they don’t add to their one automatic spot.

Women’s Final Standings

1. Netherlands
2. China
3. USA
4. Germany
5. Canada
6. Japan
7. Great Britain
8. Spain
9. Australia
10. Algeria

*Following the IWBF World Congress in August 2018, a new qualification format which included a repechage tournament for Senior World Events was ratified with the condition it was postponed and introduced post-Tokyo 2020 on request from the membership. However, due to COVID-19 and the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics the new qualification format will not come into place until post the 2022 World Championships.

Consequently, the qualification process for the 2022 Wheelchair Basketball World Championships will remain the same as it was for Tokyo 2020 Paralympics Games and the 2018 World Championships.

Final qualification places for the 2022 World Championships.

*including UAE as Host Nation in both Men and Women

Photo: Getty Images.