IWBF have awarded Thailand the rights to host the Women’s Under 25 Wheelchair Basketball World Championship for the second consecutive time.
The Championship, which is the pinnacle competition for junior women’s wheelchair basketball, will take place in the city of Bangkok between the 3 October – 9 October 2023 featuring between 8 to 10 women’s teams from across the world.
IWBF Executive Council awarded the Sport Association for Wheelchair Basketball Thai (SAWBT) the rights to host the event. SAWBT have a successful track record of hosting international competitions which include the last U25 World Championship in Suphanburi, the 2021 U23 World Championships in Phuket last year, and several Asia Oceania Championships.
Taking place every four years, this will be the fourth edition of the U25 World Championships with the USA the reigning champions from 2019.
In recognition of the congested event schedule in 2023, and to support teams and Zones, the IWBF Executive Council has approved the removal of the need for zonal qualification events for the Championship. This option was made available to all Zones and was taken by all except the Africa Zone. NOWBs will be invited to apply to participate at the U25 World Championship, and based on interest, IWBF will allocate places across the zones based on the final standings at the last U25 World Championship.
IWBF President, Ulf Mehrens, said:
“On behalf of the Board of IWBF, I am delighted to award the Sport Association for Wheelchair Basketball Thai the rights to host the 2023 Women’s Under 25 World Championship.
“Thailand have become a distinguished organiser of international wheelchair basketball events over the last decade and are an important and valuable partner to IWBF, providing sustainable and reliable support in developing the game not only to the Asia Oceania Zone but to the world of wheelchair basketball.
“We are looking forward to returning to Thailand and to continue to see the growth of the women’s game flourish.”
