Rio 2016 certainly provided excitement in every definition of the word. The first Summer Paralympic Games to be held in South America certainly lived up to its carnival image and many of the reservations people had faded within minutes of touching down at Rio de Janeiro’s recently renamed Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport.
The USA teams dominated in both the Men’s and Women’s competition, topping their pools without defeat and both progressing to win Gold. Other results were not necessarily as straight forward as some might have predicted with three way ties in both a men’s and women’s pool, the calculators were required to determine final standings on points for and against between the tied teams! Each and every team in Rio deserved their place and performed outstandingly.
Outside of the accolades and medals there was still plenty to fight for including the matter of zonal places for the World Championship in 2018. As in previous years, the final placing of teams earns zonal spots for the next World Championships which are competed for through the zonal qualification tournaments.
As always the host nation will receive a place for their men’s and women’s teams and each zone will also receive a place. The remaining places are determined through the final rankings in Rio. The top 11 teams in the men’s side of the competition secured places for their zones whilst in the women’s competition it was the top seven. Which meant in the Asia Oceania zone there will be an additional one place for the women’s competition and two for the men’s competition, in Europe there will be five additional men’s places and three additional women’s places. Whilst the America zone earned three additional men’s and three additional women’s places.
The amount of spots in the men’s competition that will be up for grabs at the zonal qualification tournaments are:
- Europe: 7 place (1 zonal, 5 through Rio 2016 and 1 host)
- Africa: 1 place (1 zonal allocation)
- Asia Oceania:4 places (1 zonal and 3 through Rio 2016)
- Americas: 4 places (1 zonal and 3 through Rio 2016)
In the women’s competition the places available look like this:
- Europe: 5 places (1 zonal, 3 through Rio 2016 and 1 host)
- Africa: 1 place (1 zonal allocation)
- Asia Oceania: 2 places (1 zonal and 1 through Rio 2016)
- Americas: 4 places (1 zonal and 3 through Rio 2016)
The places will be fought for and decided at the zones’ relevant qualification tournament which will take place in 2017.
Final Placings in Rio that determined the amount of spots.
Men’s wheelchair basketball results:
- Gold – USA (Americas Zone)
- Silver – Spain (European Zone)
- Bronze – Great Britain (European Zone)
- Turkey (European Zone)
- Brazil (Americas Zone)
- Australia (Asia Oceania Zone)
- Netherlands (European Zone)
- Germany (European Zone)
- Japan (Asia Oceania Zone)
- Iran (Asia Oceania Zone)
- Canada (Americas Zone)
- Algeria (Africa Zone)
Women’s wheelchair basketball results:
- Gold – USA (Americas Zone)
- Silver – Germany (European Zone)
- Bronze – Netherlands (European Zone)
- Great Britain (European Zone)
- Canada (Americas Zone)
- China (Asia Oceania Zone)
- Brazil (Americas Zone)
- France (European Zone)
- Argentina (Americas Zone)
- Algeria (Africa Zone)