The International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) Asia Oceania Zone Championships will mark the first of many international events for Australian basketball in 2024.
Held in Bangkok, Thailand, Australia will enter the competition with a lineup of four teams including the 5x5 Rollers and Gliders, plus the exciting addition of the 3x3 Wombats (Men and Women) who will compete in a separate three-day tournament that will set the stage for the main event.
The Men’s Championship will see clashes between the powerhouse teams in Pool A, including Australia, China, Iran, Japan, Korea, and Thailand. Pool B comprises Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, New Zealand, Philippines, and the United Arab Emirates. Both pools will engage in a single round-robin format to determine rankings, with the top two teams in Pool B advancing to the quarterfinals as the 7th and 8th seeds in Pool A.
In the Women’s Championship, Pool A, consisting of Australia, China, and Japan, will play a double round-robin, while Pool B, featuring Cambodia, India, Laos, Philippines, Thailand and the inaugural composite Asia Oceania Zone Team, will compete in a single round-robin format. The top team in Pool B will secure the 4th position in Pool A, earning a spot in the semi-finals.
The Asia Oceania Championship holds significant importance as the zonal qualification tournament for the wheelchair basketball competition with the winners qualifying directly to the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
Second and third-place finishers in the women’s competition will earn a place in the 2024 IWBF Women’s Repechage in Osaka, Japan. Meanwhile, the second-place team in the men’s competition will qualify for the 2024 IWBF Men’s Repechage in Antibes, France.
5x5 Rollers schedule here
5x5 Gliders schedule here
3x3 Wombats schedule here
All games will be streamed via the IWBF YouTube Channel.
