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The International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) has taken an important step forward at its 2026 Congress, held at Rogers Centre Ottawa on Friday, 18 September, alongside the 2026 IWBF Wheelchair Basketball World Championships.
IWBF’s member organisations approved amendments to the IWBF General Statutes and elected six members of the Executive Council for the 2026–2030 term. The decisions strengthen representation and expertise in the Council, create more regular opportunities for member engagement and deepen institutional cooperation with FIBA.
Governance changes
Under the revised Council composition, Congress elects the President, Vice-President, Treasurer and three Members, at least one of whom must be a woman. Four Commission Chairs are co-opted by the elected Council in accordance with defined terms of reference and expertise requirements. The Zonal Presidents and ex officio members continue to serve.
Congress also approved the introduction of a Mid-Term Congress, giving member organisations an additional formal opportunity to meet and engage with IWBF between elective Congresses.
The new FIBA–IWBF Coordination Council will support regular dialogue between the two organisations and build on their growing partnership. Together, these changes reflect IWBF’s commitment to inclusive governance, specialist expertise and closer dialogue with its members.
Executive Council for 2026 to 2030
IWBF congratulates the following members elected by Congress:
- President: Ulf Mehrens (Germany)
- Vice-President: Craig Moorgas (South Africa)
- Treasurer: Tomáš Pajer (Czech Republic)
- Member: Hourieh Baradaran (I.R. Iran)
- Member: Toufic Allouche (Lebanon)
- Member: Matt Wells (Australia)
Under the new governance model, the following Commission Chairs have been co-opted:
- Chair, Player Classification Commission: Regina Costa (Portugal)
- Chair, Commission for Legal Matters and Eligibility: Jessica Vliegenthart (Canada)
- Chair, Technical Commission: Cristian Roja (Italy)
- Chair, Competition Commission: Jo Sutherland (Great Britain)
Alhassan Sedky (Egypt), Chair of the IWBF Players’ Commission, and FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis remain ex officio members of the Executive Council.
The four Zonal Presidents also sit on the Council:
- Africa: Charles Saunders (South Africa)
- Americas: Stephen Bach (Canada)
- Asia Oceania: Xue Liang (China)
- Europe: Walter Pfaller (Austria)
The next Zonal elections are expected to take place in 2027.
IWBF Secretary General Gabriel Zangenfeind (Switzerland) continues to serve as a non-voting member of the Executive Council.
Forum discussions ahead of Congress
During the two days preceding Congress, IWBF’s member organisations came together at the IWBF Forum to exchange views on key matters affecting the future of the sport.
Discussions included the implementation of the 2025 IPC Classification Code for wheelchair basketball, the development of an international competition calendar to better coordinate national and international activity across a four-year cycle, and the continued growth of 3x3 wheelchair basketball.
Reflecting on the Forum and Congress, IWBF President Ulf Mehrens said:
“This Congress marks an important step forward for IWBF. The governance reforms approved by our members will strengthen the Federation, create more opportunities for dialogue and ensure that a wider range of expertise and perspectives contributes to our decisions.
“I thank our members for their trust, their active participation and their shared commitment to developing wheelchair basketball around the world.”
IWBF thanks its member organisations for their valuable contributions to both the Forum and Congress. Their input will help guide the work ahead, while the decisions taken at Congress provide a stronger foundation for IWBF’s continued development of wheelchair basketball worldwide.
