Paris 2024 Paralympic Games: Deciphering the Wheelchair Basketball Draw

The anticipation for the impending Paris 2024 Paralympic Games is growing, with the group draw of the Wheelchair Basketball competition scheduled to take place on Friday, June 14, 2024. This significant event, hosted by Fédération Française Handisport at the historic Stade Charléty, will coincide with the Paris Handisport Open and commence at 10:00 AM (CEST).

The draw will determine the groupings for the qualified teams, setting the stage for intense competition in both the Men’s and Women’s tournaments. Let’s take a closer look at the pairings and the draw process.

Pairings for Paris 2024
Women’s Pairings:
– Netherlands (NED) vs. Great Britain (GBR)
– China (CHN) vs. Japan (JPN)
– United States (USA) vs. Canada (CAN)
– Spain (ESP) vs. Germany (GER)

Men’s Pairings:
– United States (USA) vs. Canada (CAN)
– Great Britain (GBR) vs. Spain (ESP)
– Netherlands (NED) vs. Germany (GER)
– Australia (AUS) vs. France (FRA)

These pairings are based on rankings within their respective zones. For the men’s competition, the lowest-ranked team in their zone, France, has been paired with Australia, the sole representative from their zone.

The Draw Process
The draw aims to ensure fairness and equilibrium in the competition. The process involves seeding to guarantee a just distribution of teams from the same zones. Here’s a breakdown of how it works:

Pairing Distribution: The teams are paired according to their rankings and zones.
Group Allocation: The first country drawn from each pairing will be placed into Group A, while the second will automatically go into Group B.
Host Privilege: As the host nation, France will have the privilege to select which pool they would like to compete in.

Viewing the Draw
Tune in to the IWBF YouTube channel at 10:00 AM (CEST) on June 14 to witness the live draw and observe how the groups are formed for the Men’s and Women’s Wheelchair Basketball tournaments at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.