The IWBF has announced the new team selection process for the Birmingham 2022 wheelchair basketball competition ©Birmingham 2022

The International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) has announced the new team selection process for wheelchair basketball 3x3’s scheduled Commonwealth Games debut during Birmingham 2022.

Six teams are set to compete in men’s and women’s wheelchair basketball 3x3 competitions during Birmingham 2022, with one place automatically awarded in both the men’s and women’s event to the hosts - in this case England.

Four zonal places in both the men’s and women’s events will be awarded.

In the African Zone South Africa have already won places in the men’s and women’s events through their zonal qualification tournament.

Zonal qualification tournaments for the Asia Oceania Zone and European Zone are due to be held in Thailand and Scotland respectively.

For the Americas Zone a bipartite process will be used to determine the team that progresses to the men’s and women’s competitions.

A final wildcard team will then be selected for the men’s and women’s competitions, again using bipartite criteria.

The IWBF say zonal qualification tournaments must be completed by April 15.

Wheelchair basketball competition during the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games is due to take place at Smithfields ©Birmingham 2022
Wheelchair basketball competition during the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games is due to take place at Smithfields ©Birmingham 2022

Criteria for selecting teams through the bipartite processes for the Americas zone or wildcard places includes regional representation, a demonstration of previous levels of performance correspondent to participating in the Commonwealth Games and depth of field and strength of competition.  

The men’s and women’s wheelchair basketball 3x3 competitions are scheduled to take place alongside men’s and women’s basketball 3x3 events at Smithfield in Birmingham from July 29 to August 2.

The chair of the IWBF’s Competition Commission Charlie Bethel said: "This is our first Commonwealth Games and it is shaping up to be a tremendous spectacle and celebration of the basketball family.

"With all the challenges in the world today, it is really encouraging that we have been able to retain so much of the qualification system we had planned, and with the final tweaks to the timeline, we are confident that we can reflect the Commonwealth Games spirit and show the world the transformational power of wheelchair basketball.

"A huge thank you to the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) and our members for their tremendous support so far."

The IWBF and CGF say they will be monitoring the team selection process and reserve the right to amend it to ensure there is a fair qualification process for all teams.

The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games is scheduled to take place from July 28 to August 8.