The Community Awards are designed to recognise and celebrate the achievements of highly dedicated members of our sporting community in the past season.
2025 IWBF European Championships
Photos: British Wheelchair Basketball / Mansoor Ahmed
The 2025 IWBF European Championships came to a thrilling conclusion as both GB Men and GB Women took home medals in their finals and stamped their tickets to the 2026 IWBF World Championships in Ottawa, Canada.
GB Women delivered stunning team performances in a tough pool, overcoming opponents to claim qualification for Worlds after a victory in the semi-final over Germany. They faced defending champions the Netherlands in the final where they narrowly lost 66:59.
Laurie Williams commented:
“I’m so proud of the fight our team showed in the final — taking the reigning champions right down to the last minute is something to be proud of. We showcased some incredible basketball throughout the tournament, proving just how far we’ve come. It’s an exciting time for our team, and I can’t wait to keep building and dominating into next year.”
GB Men secured a silver medal and their ticket to the 2026 World Championships after an unbeaten run in the pool stages, facing a series of challenging opponents on their way to the final. In the gold medal game, Spain narrowly took the win after a clash of the titans.
Gregg Warburton commented:
“It was a hard fought final between two unbeaten teams after what had been a tough run for us, facing some of the toughest teams in the knockouts on our way to the final. Spain got off to a great start and we were playing catch up from then. Proud of the way we fought back to lead at one point in the 4th. In the end it came down to the last few possessions and we didn’t execute as well as we know we can but overall I think Spain were the better team for enough spells in the game. Credit and congratulations to them for coming here after losing a lot of key players and finding a way to maximise their squad and come out on top.
“We have made the last 8 European finals which is something to be proud of but our only aim is to finish on the top step. So we’ll evaluate where we can improve and we’ll be back competing for gold medals again come the next World & European Championships and LA Paralympics in 2028.”
Joy Haizelden and Oscar Knight were named in their respective All-Star Fives – a proud achievement for both athletes!
The support from home and on the ground has been incredible from the GB fans and BWB community. A huge thank you goes to everyone who has supported the teams – it means the world.
View similar posts
Basketball Scotland have announced their Men’s and Women’s squads set to play in the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games 3×3 Wheelchair Basketball competitions.
The GB Men and GB Women’s senior performance squads are readying themselves for the challenge coming this September as the IWBF World Championships 2026 take place in Ottawa, Canada.
FIMBA GB have announced their first ever wheelchair basketball team, set to represent Great Britain…
Our partners
