The fifteenth edition of the Easter International Wheelchair Basketball Tournament took place between 7-9 April 2023 in Blankenberge, Belgium this year, with six top countries competing including Great Britain who emerged as champions.
The Easter Tournament is a well-known friendly international wheelchair basketball competition that takes place annually. It was first held in 1998 and has featured teams from all over the world. The competition is organized by Rolstoelbasketbal VZW a non-profit association based in Belgium that aims to promote wheelchair basketball and improve access to the sport for people with disabilities. Over the years, they have worked hard to make sure that this event runs smoothly and provides an excellent experience for both players and fans alike.
Aside from being a highly competitive tournament, it also serves as an opportunity for young athletes with disabilities in Belgium to see Paralympic athletes first hand and discover the skills of the players on the international stage. It promotes inclusivity and highlights how sports can break down barriers regardless of physical limitations.
The competition was fierce from start to finish, with Australia, Canada, Great Brittan, Italy, The Netherlands, and Turkey all on the bill in preparation for the major championships coming up this summer. Great Britain were crowned as the champions of the tournament once again after defeating Australia in the final. For Scores and Stats Click Here.
Alongside the tournament, the organisers, also ran a Sports Photography Competition and workshop.
Rolstoelbasketball VZW Representative, Wouter Terryn, said:
“The tournament went really well, this was the first time of staging in three years due to the COVID pandemic so some areas were a little rusty but for the participants and spectators everything went very well and everyone seemed happy.
“The photo contest and workshops for sports photography that we had this year for the first time was also a big success and we have over 3000 pictures from many photographers to showcase the tournament.
“The main aim of the tournament though is to invest any proceeds we make into the future of Belgian wheelchair basketball, we hope to continue this as a lasting legacy and look forward to doing the same again in 2024.”
View all the images of the tournament here:
Set 1 - https://rolstoelbasketbalvzw.pixieset.com/eastertournament2023/
Set 2 - https://rolstoelbasketbalvzw33.pixieset.com/eastertournament2023/
Easter Tournament All Star Five: Jannik Blair (AUS, 1.0), Gregg Warburton (GBR, 2.0), Robin Poggenwisch (NED, 3.0), Dimitri Tanghe (ITA, 3.5), Patrick Anderson (CAN, 4.5)
For further information on Rolstoelbasketball VZW and the tournament click here.
Photo Credits: LV - Rolstoelbasketball VZW
