Canadian men’s wheelchair basketball team wins game against Netherlands

TORONTO, ONT. – The men’s wheelchair basketball Team Canada won against the Netherlands in the Featured Game on Saturday at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre.

The team featured some of Canada’s top Paralympians from the Senior Men’s National Team, including the Peace region’s own Bo Hedges.

The Featured Game was part of the four-game “friendlies” series, starting with three losses to the Netherlands on Friday before winning 57-56 on Saturday.

The game was streamed through CBC Sports and the Wheelchair Basketball Canada Youtube channel to give fans a chance to watch the sport live.

“We needed the win for team morale,” said player Nik Goncin.

“Arguably, there’s no better competition than the Netherlands. They finished first in Europe, so we got the best team to come play us. Everybody gave it something today, so feeling pretty good. It’s different when it is one or two guys, but when it’s 12, it felt like a team win today.”

These games served as part of Team Canada’s preparation for the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) Americas Cup in São Paulo, Brazil, where Canada will compete to qualify for the IWBF World Championships in Dubai.

The Americas Cup, taking place July 13th to 18th, will have Canada’s men’s team play in ‘Group B’ with Argentine, Brazil and Mexico.

The top four men’s teams will represent the IWBF Americas in Dubai at the World Championships from November 16th to 27th, 2022.