ECMWA2021: change of Sunday’s schedule

Great Britain Women’s team withdraw

Following the women’s semi-final game at the 2021 European Championship against Germany, the Great Britain women’s team have decided to take no further part in the competition. British Wheelchair Basketball has released a statement setting out their reasons for their decision.

According to the official wheelchair basketball rules, should Great Britain not be ready on court 15 minutes after the scheduled start for the Gold Medal game against Netherlands on Sunday 12th December, the game will be forfeit. The Netherlands will be awarded the game 20-0 and will finish in first place securing the gold medal. Great Britain will finish second.

The expectation of this eventuality, combined with the Local Organising Committee’s requirements for live television broadcast, has resulted in a change to the schedule of games on Sunday 12th December.

In the Women’s Competition the scheduled time for the Gold Medal game has been moved to 11:00 CET, whilst the battle for the Bronze Medal between Germany and Spain will be played at 12:30 CET.

In the Men’s Competition, the Bronze medal game between Germany and Italy will be played at 16:00 CET.

The Men’s Gold Medal game between Great Britain and Netherlands will be played at 18:30 CET.

All games will be played at the P.M. Francisco Fdez Ochoa arena in Madrid, Spain.

IWBF Europe’s focus remains to protect the health and wellbeing of athletes, technical officials and the wheelchair basketball community in this difficult situation and we are grateful to all participants for their continued diligence and observance of the covid protocols in place for the Competition.