IWBF World Championships Ready to Launch

The Australian men’s and women’s wheelchair basketball teams begin their campaigns at the 2018 World Championships in Hamburg tomorrow.

The narrative reads differently for both teams, with the Rollers seeking to create history by winning a third consecutive title, whilst for the women, redemption is the theme, with the Gliders aiming to reassert themselves a global force, having missed qualification for the Rio Paralympics in 2016.

The Gliders will begin that challenge with a match against Brazil, before taking on the Netherlands, Canada, Great Britain and Spain.

The Rollers face Argentina, Spain and the Netherlands in their group, before heading into a cross over match that leads into elimination finals.

The Gliders squad boasts three Western Australians, with 2012 Paralympic silver medallists Amber Merritt, Clare Nott and Sarah Vinci all set for action.

The Rollers squad mirrors the strong Western Australian representation with captain Shaun Norris joined by Jannik Blair (VIC based in Perth) and debutant Kim Robbins.

Every game of the 2018 IWBF World Championships will be live-streamed via YouTube whilst stats for the tournament will be available here.

The Australian Rollers and Gliders schedule for the 2018 IWBF World Championships (all times Perth):

Friday August 17: Gliders vs. Brazil at 4:00pm
Friday August 17: Rollers vs. Argentina at 6:15pm
Saturday August 18: Rollers vs. Spain at 8:30pm
Sunday August 19: Gliders vs. Netherlands at 1:45am
Monday August 20: Gliders vs. Canada at 11:30pm
Monday August 20: Rollers vs. Netherlands at 8:30pm
Tuesday August 21: Gliders vs. Great Britain at 2:15am
Tuesday August 21: Rollers Cross-over game
Wednesday August 22: Rollers Quarter-final
Wednesday August 22: Gliders vs. Spain at 6:15pm
Thursday August 23: Gliders Quarter-final
Friday August 24: Gliders Semi-final
Friday August 24: Rollers Semi-final
Saturday August 25: Gliders medal games
Sunday August 26: Rollers medal games