"The competition at the Paralympic Games has intensified as countries are becoming more interested in and are investing more in Paralympic sports," said Debbie Low, the Canadian Paralympic Committee's 2008 Beijing Games Chef de Mission, adding that adequate preparation will be key.
Canada will be looking for their first title since 2002 and fifth podium finish in as many appearances at the World Basketball Challenge. The last time they participated in the tournament in 2006, Canada finished third.
The eight team tournament features two groups of competitors. Pool A consists of Canada, Australia, the Netherlands and Great Britain. Pool B is made up by the United States, Germany, Japan and Mexico.
"We are really excited about the tournament as it will be an opportunity to see all of our key Paralympic opponents," said women's national team head coach Tim Frick. "We'll get a chance to measure ourselves against the USA, Germany and Australia, and then also see what progress the up and coming teams like the Netherlands, Mexico, Japan and Great Britain have made."
Canada's first game will be against the Netherlands on Wednesday, June 4, 2008 at 8 a.m.
At the conclusion of the tournament, members of Team Canada will get the chance to train at the University of Alabama for a few days before travelling to Birmingham, Alabama for the North American Cup, from June 12-14.
Schedule:
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
8 a.m.: Canada vs. Netherlands
10 a.m.: USA vs. Japan
1 p.m.: Australia vs. Great Britain
3 p.m.: Germany vs. Mexico
5 p.m.: Canada vs. Great Britain
7 p.m.; USA vs. Mexico
Thursday, June 5, 2008
8 a.m.: Australia vs. Netherlands
10 a.m.: Germany vs. Japan
1 p.m.: Canada vs. Australia
3 p.m.: USA vs. Germany
5 p.m.: Netherlands vs. Great Britain
7 p.m.: Japan vs. Mexico
Friday, June 6, 2008
8 a.m.: Game 1 Pool A 2nd Place vs. Pool B 3rd Place
10 a.m.: Game 2 Pool A 3rd Place vs. Pool B 2nd Place
1 p.m.: Game 3 Pool A 1st Place vs. Pool B 4th Place
3 p.m.: Game 4 Pool A 4th Place vs. Pool B 1st Place
5 p.m.: Game 5 Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 3
7 p.m.: Game 6 Winner of Game 2 vs. Winner of Game 4
Saturday, June 7, 2008
8 a.m.: Game 7 Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 3
10 p.m.: Game 8 Loser of Game 2 vs. Loser of Game 4
1 p.m.: Game 9 Loser of Game 5 vs. Loser of Game 6¾
3 p.m.: Game 10 Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 6½
*Note: All games will be played the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation in Georgia, USA.
The Canadian national women's team is the defending world champion. They won bronze at the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games and gold at the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games.
The Beijing Paralympic Summer Games run from September 6-17, 2008 in China.
