International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) President Maureen Orchard announced today that the 2013 Men’s U23 World Wheelchair Basketball Championship has been awarded to Adana, Turkey.
“I am very pleased to announce that we will go to Adana, Turkey, September 12 – 22, 2013 for the fifth U23 Men’s World Championship. This championship event has grown from only seven teams when first held in Toronto, Canada, in 1997, to a 12-team tournament with teams from all over the world in Paris, France in 2009,” said Orchard.
Orchard commented that she was most impressed with the support shown by the mayor and the governor during the site visit to Adana in January.
“There were an impressive number of community leaders who joined us for breakfast the last day to ensure we knew that Adana was ready to host this championship event.”
Ali Duran Karakaya will chair the local host committee. He will be supported by Mustafa Gülpinar and Munir Gokmen as well as many others from the city and the Turkish Federation for The Physically Disabled.
“I have wanted to bring a wheelchair basketball world championship to Adana for several years now and I am glad that all our hard work has paid off. I know that the people of Adana will welcome the teams and I promise we will do everything possible to make the championship a great event,” said Karakaya.
Ron Coppenrath, president of competition for the IWBF, noted that he had the pleasure of working with Karakaya and the wheelchair basketball community in Adana in the past when they hosted two very successful European Championships.
“I am confident they will do a great job. Like Maureen, I look forward to working again with everyone in Adana,” he said.
Only 12 teams are entitled to attend the U23 World Championship. Turkey, as the host nation, has an automatic spot; all other teams will earn their spot at qualification tournaments which will take place in each of the four IWBF Zones over the next year.
For more information, please visit www.iwbf.org.
Team Canada at the Men’s U23 World Championships
The Canadian Men’s U23 National Team has competed at each of the first four Junior World Championships. Team Canada won back-to-back gold medals at the tournament, first at the inaugural event on home soil in 1997, and then again in Brazil in 2001. The Canadians placed sixth at the 2005 Men’s U23 World Championship in Birmingham, UK, and most recently finished eigth at the last tournament in France in 2009.