The European Championship for Men and Women tipped off in Sarajevo
ECMWA 2025
The 27th European Championship for Men and the 19th European Championship for Women tipped off in Sarajevo. This European championship act as qualifies for the World Championships 2026.
TUR 101-40 BIH (M)
Türkiye got their IWBF European Championships off to the best possible start by routing hosts Bosnia and Herzegovina 101-40 in Group A.
Leading from start to finish, Türkiye were ruthless in their approach as it became the first nation to reach the 100-point mark in the tournament. Mucahit Günaydin led five Turkish players with 20 points.
Bosnia now drops to 0-2 in the tournament. Nazif Arnaut led the hosts with 18 points and six rebounds.
GBR 80-64 ISR (M)
Reigning men’s champions Great Britain start strong with an 80-64 win v Israel.
After a scrappy first quarter the youth-focused line-up including Cusack, Fryer and Knight contributed to a 26-11 second period, creating a large lead.
22-year-old debutant Knight ended the game with 20pts personal, shooting 70% from the field, an impressive showing for the U23 standout.
GBR 47-18 ESP (W)
The 2023 European Championship silver (Great Britain) and bronze (Spain) medalists went head to head in their opening game as Great Britain came out on top.
A close opening quarter saw Spain onto the scoreboard first thanks to Beatriz Zudaire. Great Britain swung back to take a 10-4 lead at the end of the first quarter, which they increased to 24-8 at half time.
Virginia Pérez hit twice from behind the arc for Spain in the third as they held GB to a 9 point quarter but a 14-4 run in the fourth for Great Britain gave them a 47-18 victory.
Great Britain’s Robyn Love had a game high 14 points along with 8 rebounds and 5 assists, Amy Conoy added a near double double with 9 points and 9 rebounds off the bench.
Pérez led the way for Spain with 6 points 2 rebounds and 3 steals.
SUI 35-89 ITA (M)
Italy are off to a dominant start at the European Championships with an 89-35 win over 2024 Division B Champions, Switzerland.
They gained a comfortable lead halfway through the first quarter with excellent transition plays predominantly from Andrea Giaretti who scored 9pts in his first 90 seconds on court, totalling 20pts in just 12 and a half minutes.
Up and coming player Gabriel Benvenuto was also impressive leading Italy with 21pts shooting 10 of 12 from the field at 83%.
Despite gaining a significant lead early on, the Italians kept up the intensity much to delight of their new coach Gertjan van der Linden who’s been with the squad for a year, providing them with a sense of rejuvenation in this new Paralympic cycle.
NED 91-24 FRA (W)
Defending champions the Netherlands started their campaign for a 5th straight gold medal in style with a 91-24 win over France in the opening game of the 19th edition of the Women’s competition.
The Netherlands opened the game with a 18-0 run before Lucie Nolet put Les Blues on the scoreboard, and didn’t look back, taking a 46-14 lead into halftime. France put up their highest tally in the fourth quarter with 10 points, as the Netherlands sealed their first win of the tournament.
Bo Kramer led the Netherlands with a triple double of 33 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists while Xena Wimmenhoeve added in 29 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists.
For France Loeiza Vari Le Roux and Lucie Nolet scored 7 points a piece with Nolet grabbing 3 rebounds.
POL 59-95 GER (M)
Germany began their IWBF European Championship campaign in style with a resounding 95-59 win over Poland in Group A.
After a hot start from both sides in the opening possessions, Germany continued their efficient offensive rhythm throughout, whereas Poland’s offensive flow faded.
Germany’s lead grew to as many as 38 as head coach Jan Haller was able to extend some minutes across his bench towards the latter stages of the fourth.
Alexander Budde led five German players in double figures with 20 points, with Krzysztof Kozaryna leading Poland with 17 points off the bench, as they drop their first game after victory on opening night against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
FRA 71-63 NED (M)
France get their European Championships campaign off to a great start with a 71-63 victory over the current European bronze medalists, the Netherlands in Group B action.
After being down by 8 at the end of the first quarter, Les Blues started their comeback in the second with an electric burst of energy from Alexis Ramonet, bringing it to a 1-point game by the end of the first half.
The French momentum continued into the third, outscoring the Orange Lions 23-9 in their most dominant period. Christophe Carlier (20pts, 61%FG) & Remi Bayle (14pts, 66%FG) led the way for France, with Bayle in particularly making some incredible shots inside the paint under tough pressure from the Dutch.
For Netherlands, Arie Twigt top scored with 19pts, shooting 53% from the field but by this point France were able to maintain their lead and secure victory, looking to massively improve from their 7th place finish in 2023.
ESP 84-41 AUT (M)
Spain is off the mark at the IWBF European championships with an 84-41 win over Austria in their Group A encounter in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The 2023 European Championship silver-medallists led from tip to final buzzer and sealed the win in the third quarter, holding the Austrians to just eight points, en route to outscoring them 43-18 in the second half.
Manuel Lorenzo went 8-for-9 from the field for a team-high 19 points and nine rebounds for Spain, supported by Adrian Garcia’s 16.
Hubert Hager paced Austria with 20 points, with Mehmet Hayrli adding 15, but no other Austrian player contributed more than two points each to help build a strong enough challenge the Spanish.
BIH 67 – 88 POL (M)
Poland started their IWBF European Championship adventure with an 88-67 victory over hosts Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo.
Dominik Mosler led five Polish players in double figures with 21 points, supported by 20 off the bench from Krzysztof Kozaryna, as they shot 62 percent from the field, with that high mark never dropping below 50 from the second minute of the first quarter onwards.
Despite defeat, it was a proud performance from the Bosnians, led by 29 points from Nermin Nujic, but the writing was on the wall for them when Poland raced out to a sizable lead that stretched as far as 33 points, en route to a 51-25 advantage at half-time.
The hosts came out more determined in the third quarter and actually outscored their counterparts 26-19 heading into the fourth, but the damage at that point was done.
Poland next plays Germany, while Bosnia and Herzegovina faces Türkiye. Both games are tomorrow (Friday).
wrap ups: Caroline Bullock, John Hobbs, Dylan Cummings
photo: Steffie Wunderl
