Draw made for Wheelchair Basketball Euros

Terry Bywater will look to lead Great Britain. © • BT

Related Features

Pollock not done with wheelchair basketball yet

No. 22: Germany bucket first gold since 1984

“We’ve got a good draw as we know all the teams in the group well, including Germany, and having them in the group means we can get revenge from the Paralympics.”

The draws for the 2013 European Wheelchair Basketball Championships were made on Tuesday (5 February) in Frankfurt, Germany.

The top 12 men’s and top eight women’s wheelchair basketball teams in Europe will compete in Frankfurt from 28 June – 7 July, all of whom will try to qualify for next year’s World Championships.

On the men’s side, Great Britain will try to defend their European title after finishing fourth at the London 2012 Games and losing veteran Jon Pollock to retirement last month.

Great Britain have been drawn in Group A and will be up against current European silver medallists Germany, as well as Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland.

Group B in the men’s competition will include: Spain, Turkey, Poland, Israel, Sweden and France.

Germany, Poland, Spain and Turkey were all represented at the London 2012 competition as well.

“We’ve got a good draw as we know all the teams in the group well, including Germany, and having them in the group means we can get revenge from the Paralympics,” Great Britain’s Terry Bywater said in a press release.

“The Europeans will give us chance to bounce back from London and show everyone we are a winning team. Being reigning champions means that we are the team everyone wants to beat. If we could win back-to-back golds that would be something very special.”

On the women’s side, Germany will enter the competition with a large target on their backs as the Paralympic champions in London. The Germans will be in Group A, alongside France, Israel and Spain – none of whom competed at the Paralympics.

Group B will feature Paralympic bronze medallists the Netherlands, as well as Great Britain, Italy and Turkey.

Women’s Groups

Group A: Germany, France, Spain, Israel

Group B: The Netherlands, Great Britain, Turkey, Italy

Men’s Groups

Group A: Great Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland

Group B: Spain, Turkey, Poland, Israel, Sweden, France