The draw for the U23 European Championship, which is scheduled from 13 to 18 June 2021 at the Centro Bella Italia in Lignano Sabbiadoro, took place on Saturday 8 May in Rome at the headquarters of the Italian Wheelchair Basketball Federation (FIPIC).
Italian Federation’s Secretary Alessia Ferri, and Cristian Roja, Chairman of the Technical Commission for IWBF, oversaw the proceedings of the draw; also present was the Italian Technical Director Carlo Di Giusto and Bianca Maria Mariani representing the organising committee of the event.
Reigning European Champions Turkey were drawn in Group A with France and Israel; Germany, Spain, and Poland were drawn in Group B. As per international regulations, Italy, as host nation, then got to choose which group they would like to be placed in to complete the group line-ups. The Italian Technical Director Carlo Di Giusto chose to compete in Group A.
The first two of each group will be the four teams to progress to the semi-finals, whilst the remaining three teams will play in a round robin to determine 5th - 7th placings. The top 5 teams qualify for the U23 World Championship in Chiba City, Japan next year.
U23 Italian Head Coach, Roberto Ceriscioli, said:
“At the U23 level it is always difficult to have a clear idea of the forces on the court. We chose the group based on the little information we were able to gather on the various national teams. We know we meet strong teams but also have a national team with great potential. We can't wait to compete on the court.”
This is the first competition for national representatives organised in Europe after the postponement of competitions due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The final match schedule will be announced shortly.
Image courtesy of FIPIC.
