IWBF has right now confirmed that the IWBF Males’s U23 World Championship has been relocated and rescheduled to happen in Phuket, Thailand in September 2022.
The choice to reschedule the Championship, which was resulting from be held in Chiba, Japan, between 27 Might – 4 June 2022, was made by IWBF along side the Japanese Wheelchair Basketball Federation.
IWBF Competitors Chairman, Charlie Bethel, mentioned:
“Given the COVID-19 pandemic scenario and the measures at the moment in place in Japan mixed with the difficulties over the supply of amenities for later dates within the 12 months, JWBF have made the tough choice to return the internet hosting rights for the IWBF Males’s U23 World Championship that have been awarded to them in 2019.
“We want to thank JWBF for all their efforts and work they’ve put in over the previous three years to try to make the occasion go forward. We hope to have the ability to work with JWBF sooner or later to carry worldwide wheelchair basketball again to Japan.”
Shimpei Oikawa, JWBF Govt Board Member commented:
“We’re grateful for IWBF’s understanding of the tough circumstances that led to our choice to relinquish the occasion in Japan. Whereas the choice was made after intensive consideration and deliberation, it was extraordinarily unlucky as a result of a lot preparation had already taken place and world’s prime younger gamers have been set to compete at this long-awaited championship. Nonetheless, JWBF is dedicated to promotion and growth of Wheelchair Basketball globally and might be looking for other ways to contribute by working along with IWBF and the Wheelchair Basketball neighborhood all through the world.”
The Championship, which showcases elite junior male gamers of the game, was initially scheduled for 2021 however needed to be rescheduled because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Video games. It would now be moved to Phuket in Thailand to make sure it will possibly happen in 2022.
After an in-depth session with the Sport Affiliation for Wheelchair Basketball Thailand (SAWBT), who’ve a confirmed monitor report of organising worldwide competitions, an answer to permit the U23 World Championship to go forward between the 8 September – 16 September 2022 was discovered.
Bethel continued:
“We all know navigating by way of the present well being disaster to make sure competitions happen is extraordinarily difficult. IWBF, their Zones, and Native Organising Committees additionally recognise that the pandemic is evolving in a different way based on the place on the planet you might be and can endeavour to make sure that we provide all our groups not solely the placement and amenities for optimum efficiency but additionally the most secure atmosphere for everybody concerned.
“We’re extraordinarily grateful to Wheelchair Basketball Thailand who’ve been in a position to step in and supply us the possibility to make this competitors attainable. We thank everybody for his or her help, understanding, and adaptability in our efforts to keep up as a lot continuity as attainable with the competitors schedule.”
Phuket was already set to host the 2022 Asia Oceania Championships, the qualification match for the 2022 IWBF World Championships, in March which has now been pushed again to mid/finish of Might 2022 to permit further time for the pandemic restrictions within the Zone to ease.
The Asia Oceania Zone’s 3×3 Commonwealth Video games Qualification Event, which was resulting from be held alongside the Asia Oceania Championships, will now not happen. These nations registered to take part within the 3×3 match can as an alternative apply by way of the wild card ‘bipartite system’.
