Wheelchair Basketball Championship

BC Wheelchair Basketball Society (BCWBS) and Wheelchair Basketball Canada are hosting the 2012 National Championships at the Richmond Oval from May 18-20^th.

Canada’s top wheelchair basketball players will display skills never before seen and it is hoped they get a good size crowd for this event.

The best men’s provincial teams and the top women’s club teams from across the country will each compete to decide a National Champion.

Members of the Canadian Senior Men’s and Women’s National Teams will be among the elite talent on hand, as they prepare to don the maple leaf this summer at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

The 2012 National Championships will celebrate the theme of “Difference Makers” in honour of Rick Hansen and the 25th anniversary of the Man in Motion World Tour.

Hansen, a former member of the Sr. Men’s National Team, will participate in the medal ceremonies following the championship games on Sunday, May 20, 2012, before the 25th Anniversary Relay makes its way to the Richmond Oval for a special public celebration.

Team British Columbia is the five-time defending National Champions, and will look to match a team record of six consecutive championships, originally set between 1978 and 1983.

With 21 victories, Team BC is the most successful squad in the tournament’s 45-year history.

On the women’s side, Team Quebec is the defending Champion after capturing its first-ever national title last year.

The fun-filled weekend will conclude Sunday evening with Wheelchair Basketball Canada’s annual awards banquet. Coaching legend Tim Frick will be inducted into the Hall of Fame and the organization will recognize the outstanding individuals whose efforts have contributed to the wheelchair basketball community.

Twenty-five games will be played over the course of three days and admission is free. The action gets underway Friday, May 18 at 10 a.m. (PDT).

The championship games take place on Sunday, May 20 at 12:15 p.m. (women) and 2:15 p.m. (men).