Canada’s women and men’s teams progressed to the semifinals at the first-ever 3×3 wheelchair basketball world championships on Saturday. The Canadian women continued their winning streak with a dominant 21-3 victory over host South Africa 1, setting up a showdown with Great Britain on Sunday at 6:20 a.m. ET in Sun City.
The women’s team from Canada consists of Kady Dandeneau, Tamara Steeves, Élodie Tessier, and Puisand Lai. Tessier expressed confidence in the team’s performance but acknowledged the need to elevate their game against tougher opponents in the upcoming matches.
Viewers can catch live coverage of both tournaments on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem, with the action continuing on Sunday at 2:50 a.m. ET. The Canadian women secured a flawless record in the group stage by defeating South Africa’s second team 17-3 earlier in the day, following victories against Spain and Kenya.
On the men’s side, Canada advanced to face Austria after narrowly beating Australia 12-9. The Canadian men’s team includes Vincent Dallaire, Colin Higgins, Lee Melymick, and Garrett Ostepchuk. Dallaire highlighted the fast-paced nature of the game and expressed satisfaction with their execution, looking forward to replicating their performance in the upcoming match.
In the previous rounds, the Canadians triumphed over Kenya and Austria, setting the stage for their quarterfinal victory against Australia. The tournament, organized by Wheelchair Basketball South Africa, aims to showcase the development of 3×3 wheelchair basketball and provide smaller nations with a platform to shine internationally.
This event marks the second appearance of Canada’s wheelchair basketball teams in 3×3 competitions, following their success at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, where the women claimed gold and the men secured silver.