The groups for the 2022 IWBF Wheelchair Basketball World Championships have been decided. In a ceremony held at the Dubai Sports Council on Wednesday 8 February, 16 men’s and 12 women’s teams discovered who they would meet in the preliminary stages of the competition. The Emirates will host, for the first time, the World Championships from 9th - 20th June.
Overseen by IWBF Competitions Commission Chairman, Charlie Bethel, the women’s groups were drawn first by IWBF President, Ulf Mehrens, and Asia Paralympic Committee President, Majid Rashed. The twelve teams were seeded and paired then pulled out in a random order.
In Group A, World Champions and Paralympic Champions, the Netherlands will meet Algeria, the USA, Thailand, Germany, and Japan. In Group B, World Championship Silver Medallists Great Britain will meet Paralympic Silver Medallists China in addition to Australia, Spain, Canada, and Brazil.
The women's groups for the 2022 IWBF Wheelchair Basketball World Championships
The men’s groups were drawn by the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Dubai Club for People of Determination, Thani Juma Berregad, and the Secretary General of the UAE Paralympic Committee, Ziban Salem Al-Muhairi.
The 16 teams participating in the men's competition were seeded and split into 4 groups, each group included 4 teams.
As host, the UAE national team, which for the first time in its history is participating in the World Championships, chose to join Group A with Asia Oceania Champions Australia, as well as Italy and Brazil. Group B included the teams of Egypt, Germany, Canada, and Thailand, and in Group C the Netherlands, Argentina, South Korea, and France. The final group sees World Champions Great Britain drawn against Paralympic Champions USA alongside Asia Oceania teams, Iran and Iraq.
The men's groups for the 2022 IWBF Wheelchair Basketball World Championships
The draw ceremony also witnessed the unveiling of the Championship’s logo which features a mix of Dubai’s landmarks, including Palm Island, Burj Khalifa, and the Burj Arab Hotel, as well as revealing the championship mascot, a hawk that has been dubbed “Al-Hor”.
