Burwell brings over 25 years of experience working in sport and event management

Wheelchair Basketball Canada (WBC) is pleased to welcome Cindy Burwell to the organization as Executive Director, IWBF 2026 Wheelchair Basketball World Championships. Burwell will be a key part of the 2026 Steering Committee and oversee the building and shaping of the event delivery team.

“We are excited to have Cindy join us to oversee this world-class event,” said Wheelchair Basketball Canada CEO Wendy Gittens. “With over 25 years of experience managing major events, Cindy has a proven track record of success building and leading high-performing teams and is a perfect fit to lead our Ottawa 2026 team.”

Burwell has more than 25 years of experience in amateur and professional sports, leading teams to deliver complex events. Most recently, she worked with the County of Renfrew as the Games General Manager for the 2023 Ontario Winter Games, where she was responsible for the end-to-end execution of the Games and led the Games Organising Committee.

As ED of the IWBF 2026 Wheelchair Basketball World Championships, Burwell will oversee the event’s strategic positioning and planning while driving the effective and timely delivery of all administrative, logistical, promotional, and legacy operations.

The 2026 Wheelchair Basketball World Championships, the world’s largest team sport event for high-performance athletes with a disability, is set to be a thrilling 11-day tournament in Ottawa. It will feature 28 teams (16 men and 12 women) and over 620 team members competing at the highest level.