(Ottawa, Ont.) South Africa has qualified for the 2017 IWBF Men’s U23 World Wheelchair Basketball Championship thanks to a thrilling finish against Nigeria in the final game of the U23 African World Championship Qualifier in Johannesburg, South Africa last week.
From December 5th to 10th, wheelchair basketball teams from South Africa, Zimbabwe and Nigeria vied for first place at the African qualifier. South Africa dominated throughout the tournament and ultimately earned a spot at the upcoming world championship with a 48-36 win against Nigeria.
With 2017 marking their third appearance at the Men’s U23 World Championship, South Africa will look to improve upon their two previous 11th place finishes.
South Africa will be one of 12 teams, including host Canada, competing for the world title at the IWBF Men’s U23 World Championship from June 8-16, 2017 at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto.
Qualification tournaments for the Men’s U23 World Championship will continue throughout January 2017.
- European Qualifier – January 8-15, 2017 in Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy
- Asia Oceania Qualifier – January 21-29, 2017 in Bangkok, Thailand
- Americas Qualifier – January 22-29, 2017, in Buenos Aires, Argentina
About the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation
The International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) is the governing body for wheelchair basketball around the world. IWBF is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to provide opportunities for persons with a lower limb disability to play the game of wheelchair basketball. For more information, please visit www.iwbf.org.