The Canadian Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team is extremely happy to confirm that all of the 4.0 and 4.5 athletes on our team have met the eligibility requirements of the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) Classification Code. It is an enormous relief that we are able to continue participating in the sport that we love and that we have worked so hard to pursue at the highest level. After months of exhaustive waiting, we can now finally move forward with our preparations for Tokyo.

While we remain intact as a team, we are completely dissatisfied with how the entire process has unfolded. It has been emotionally depleting, inconsiderate and unfair to all of the athletes in Canada and around the world.

The IWBF, the IPC and the IPC Athletes’ Council are athlete-centered organizations, yet in this case the best interests of the athletes seem to have been lost along the way. It is crucial that they understand the toll this has taken on each individual athlete, as well as the entire team.

Wheelchair basketball is a driving force in our lives and the potential to have it suddenly and unceremoniously disappear has been weighing heavily on us all. The notion of being denied a future in your life’s passion is difficult to fathom. This unknown and the profound uncertainty that accompanies it is something that we have had to endure since January. It has been frightening and deeply upsetting. Regardless of the outcomes, individually and collectively our mental health and well-being have been negatively impacted.

It is staggering to learn that the IWBF knew about the need to become compliant five years ago and yet they failed to take any real action until recently. On top of that, we find it unsympathetic and disrespectful for the IPC to decide a mere seven months before the original date of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics to strong-arm the IWBF into action. We are disappointed that the IPC Athletes’ Council, that are to ‘be the voice of all current, future and retired international athletes within the Paralympic Movement’ did not do more to reach out and support us.

Moving forward, we sincerely hope the IPC and IWBF will do a better job of working together to protect the integrity of the game and the Paralympic Movement.

As Canadian athletes, we are fiercely proud to represent a country where inclusivity is so deeply ingrained in our culture and reflected in how the game is played. In our domestic league, able-bodied players are included alongside persons with disabilities. From the classification system to on-court strategy, everyone is welcome and has an important role to play. This system has allowed us all to play as equals. As a nation, this has only served to strengthen our leagues, our players, and our love for the sport.

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