BT Paralympic World Cup

WORLD’S TOP FOUR WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL TEAMS TO CONTEST BT PARALYMPIC WORLD CUP

Leading international wheelchair basketball players will descend on Manchester in May, as the top four male teams in the world today confirmed they will be competing in the 2010 BT Paralympic World Cup.

Paralympic champions Australia will be defending their BT Paralympic World Cup title, with Paralympic silver medallists Canada, bronze medallists GB and European champions Italy all fielding world class teams.

The event will prove a crucial test to the teams as they look ahead to the IWBF World Championships in Birmingham in July and GB’s Jon Hall is relishing the opportunity.

“Because of the teams that are going to be competing in Manchester it will be a brilliant event,” said Hall.

“We are leading up to the World Championships with this tournament and it’s the first stepping-stone for us this season. We go straight from the event in Manchester to two tournaments in the States, so it’s a really important time for us.”

GB men’s coach Murray Treseder added, “The BT Paralympic World Cup is always a great tournament for us to compete in, having some of the best teams from around the world to play against in our home country is always a good experience for the men. With the World Championships in Britain this year and then on to 2012, this event is more and more important.”

International Wheelchair Basketball Federation President Maureen Orchard also believes this year’s BT Paralympic World Cup is a great opportunity for all teams ahead of the World Championships.

Maureen said, “I’m really pleased that Wheelchair Basketball is once again part of the BT Paralympic World Cup, it allows the athletes to play against the best in the world and see whether they belong. It has been very important to the improvement in the women’s game as the teams have a chance to prepare for the World Championships in a top competitive atmosphere. IWBF also appreciates the opportunity that the BT Paralympic World Cup provides us to bring together referees and classifiers from around the world to ensure the athletes have the quality officiating they need to be successful.”

The women’s tournament will see leading teams compete with GB looking to avenge their fourth place finish last year, as they compete against Australia, Canada and The Netherlands.

GB player Louise Sugden said, “The BT Paralympic World Cup is going to be great this year and we’re all looking forward to it. The competition will be really tough for us as everyone else is ranked higher than we are, but it’s a really good challenge for us as a team. Playing against teams that are better than you raise your level of competition, you have to bring your top game.”

GB women’s coach Garry Peel added, “As always the BT Paralympic World Cup offers the women a great insight in to where they currently are performance-wise and what they need to be doing as we head towards 2012. Having the opportunity to compete in a multi-sport event on home soil is a great experience for the women to go through and it only helps to make them stronger every year, we will certainly be looking for a top three finish.”

The countries will align with the new team challenge for the overall BT Paralympic World Cup trophy, which sees GB take on the Americas, Europe and Rest of the World.

The BT Paralympic World Cup is the world’s largest annual multi-sport elite disability event and major international stars and a strong British contingent are expected.

The competition will be staged in Manchester from 25-31 May, with over 400 competitors from over 31 countries scheduled to compete.

Athletes will compete in four sports at world class competition venues in Manchester: Wheelchair Basketball, Football 7-a-side and Athletics at the Manchester Regional Arena and Swimming at the Manchester Aquatics Centre.

A half price early bird ticket offer for the BT Paralympic World Cup is available by signing up to the newsletter via the event website: www.btparalympicworldcup.com Tickets go on sale on 29 March 2010.

BT is the title sponsor of the Paralympic World Cup; the sponsorship runs up to and includes the 2012 BT Paralympic World Cup.

The BT Paralympic World Cup is sanctioned by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the Cerebral Palsy International Sports & Recreation Association (CPISRA) and the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) and supported by BT, ParalympicsGB, the FA, Manchester City Council and the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA).

The BBC, the official televised partner to the event, will broadcast live from the Manchester Aquatics Centre on Monday 31 May 2010 on BBC Television.

The event schedule will see Athletics on 25 May, Football 7-a-side on 26-29 May and Wheelchair Basketball on 27-30 May, all at the Manchester Regional Arena and Swimming at the Manchester Aquatics Centre on 31 May.

Follow the BT Paralympic World Cup on Twitter: www.twitter.com/BTPWC