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Image credit: Chris Cox / TUB Podcast. Image: Lynsey Speirs, Robyn Love, Jude Hamer, Jessica Whyte

Team Scotland have announced their 3×3 Women’s wheelchair basketball team ahead of the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games. Robyn Love, Jude Hamer, Jessica Whyte, and Lynsey Speirs will represent Scotland in the first ever appearance of wheelchair basketball at the Games.

Fans of the BWB Women’s Premier League team Loughborough Lightning will be pleased with this selection, with all four selected players having represented Lightning in the 2022 WPL season.

Following their qualification earlier this year at the IWBF Europe 3×3 Commonwealth Games Qualifiers in Largs in front of a home crowd, the Scotland Women’s 3×3 team are fired up to take to the courts in July. Robyn Love spoke with Team Scotland on the team announcement:

“It is an incredible feeling to be selected for Scotland at the Commonwealth Games and to debut our amazing sport.

“3×3 wheelchair basketball is fast-paced, thrilling and exciting. It is even more special that we are playing wheelchair basketball at the Commonwealth Games for the first time and can showcase how brilliant para-sport is. We have a fantastic team in place and we are so excited to be playing for Scotland. We will give it our all to bring home a medal this summer.”

Scotland Women’s will join England Women’s in the 3×3 wheelchair basketball competition in Birmingham. Ticketing: https://tickets.birmingham2022.com/

Press release: International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF)

Cover photo credit: Christopher Cox Photography

The International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) and the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) are pleased to announce the 12 national wheelchair basketball teams that will compete at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

6 men’s teams – England, South Africa, Northern Ireland, Australia, Canada, Malaysia – and 6 women’s teams – England, South Africa, Scotland, Australia, Canada, Kenya – will make history being part of the wheelchair basketball 3×3 competition making its debut at the Commonwealth Games.

The wheelchair basketball competition will take place at Smithfield, formerly the site of Birmingham’s Wholesale Markets, in an integrated programme with the running basketball game, and will run in a two-group format followed by semi-finals and finals.

The groups were drawn at the Library of Birmingham on Tuesday 17 May 2022 hosted by Birmingham 2022 and overseen by the IWBF Chair of Competition Charlie Bethel, with guests including Team England Wheelchair Basketball 3×3 Head Coaches, Mathew Foden and Lucas Warburton.

In the women’s competition, the first four teams were drawn out with Canada and Kenya in Group A and Australia and South Africa in Group B. As hosts, England then got to choose which group to be placed in. They chose to be placed in Group A, meaning Scotland were placed in Group B.

In the men’s competition, Malaysia and South Africa were drawn in Group A, with Australia and Canada being drawn in Group B. Again, hosts England decided to be placed in Group A, with Northern Ireland going into Group B.

IWBF’s President, Ulf Mehrens, said: “It’s great to see such a mix of nations in the line-up for the wheelchair basketball 3×3 competition in Birmingham 2022, from well-established to new upcoming teams. This is a what we hoped 3×3 would bring to the game of wheelchair basketball, new opportunities for smaller and developing nations.

“As a relatively new discipline for wheelchair basketball, we are extremely excited to be able to showcase it at such a well renowned multi-sport event as the Commonwealth Games and would like to thank everyone involved in CGF, Birmingham 2022, and FIBA for driving this forward.

“I’d like to wish all the teams good luck in their preparations and look forward to seeing them in Birmingham in July.”

Matt Kidson, Director of Sport said: “It’s fantastic news that we now have confirmation of the men’s and women’s draw for the wheelchair basketball 3×3 tournament at Birmingham 2022.

“This will be the first time that wheelchair basketball 3×3 has ever been part of the Commonwealth Games so these teams will be making history in Birmingham. The competition venue is currently under construction at Smithfield, which is in the heart of the host city, and is a location which we know will come alive at Games time.

“Basketball 3×3 and wheelchair basketball 3×3 tickets are selling very fast so I would urge anyone who wants to be there to witness this historic tournament to buy their tickets now.”

CGF President Dame Louise Martin said: “Congratulations to the outstanding men’s and women’s wheelchair basketball teams who have qualified for Birmingham 2022. We are set for an historic competition as wheelchair basketball 3×3 makes it’s Commonwealth Games debut. We look forward to an inspiring competition at Smithfield, right in the heart of Birmingham’s city centre, showcasing our commitment to a world class, fully integrated competition.”

The schedule will follow in the next few weeks. Tickets for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games are currently available at www.birmingham2022.com

Press release: International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF)

Images credit: Chris Cox / TUB Podcast

Northern Ireland Men’s and Scotland Women’s 3×3 teams have qualified for the upcoming 2022 Commonwealth Games, taking place in Birmingham later this year. Both teams qualified on Thursday at the IWBF Europe 3×3 Commonwealth Games Qualifiers held at the sportscotland Inverclyde National Sport Training Centre in Largs on the scenic west coast of Scotland.

England Men’s and England Women’s 3×3 teams have automatic qualification for the Games due to host nation status. All four Men’s and Women’s teams will join four other nations each at the Games in pursuit of gold.

The teams heading to Birmingham 2022 will be making history as wheelchair basketball is set to make its debut appearance in the competition, marking the first time the sport has been included within a Commonwealth Games.

The wheelchair basketball competition format at the Games will be 3×3, a faster paced version of the game which is set to thrill the fans.

On qualifying for the Games, James MacSorley (Northern Ireland) said:

“It feels absolutely amazing. I’ve been saying to people there is a rich history of wheelchair basketball in Northern Ireland and it’s absolutely a pleasure to be another piece of that.

“[on the 3×3 format] I play so much 5×5 that it took a little bit for me to get used to it. I was really well supported by everyone at Disability Sport Northern Ireland, everyone from Sport Northern Ireland, and Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland. They enabled us to come in in good shape, ready, prepared, we’ve done everything possible to come here and try to win the tournament which we were able to do.”

On Scotland Women’s performance and qualification, Robyn Love said:

“It’s unbelievable getting to represent Scotland at home and captain my country – I think I’m the most proud person in the world right now.

“[on preparations for Birmingham 2022] In the summer we’ll be doing much of the same: building and watching video. We are all learning this 3×3 game and we are all learning together. For us I think it will be a fun adventure in the summer.”

Final results from the qualifier:

SCO Men vs NIR Men	12 – 14	Men’s Pool A
SCO Women vs WAL Women	21 – 4	Women’s Pool A
SCO Men vs WAL Men	18 – 7	Men’s Pool A
WAL Women vs SCO Women	3 – 17	Women’s Pool A
WAL Men vs NIR Men	5 – 15	Men’s Pool A
SCO Women vs WAL Women	21 – 0	Women’s Pool A
NIR Men vs SCO Men	11 – 10	Men’s Final