OTTAWA, ONT. (July 29, 2025) – Wheelchair Basketball Canada officially named the 23 athletes selected to represent the men’s and women’s National Teams at the 2025 IWBF Americas Cup, set for Aug. 9–20, 2025, in Bogotá, Colombia.
The Americas Cup serves as a qualification tournament for the 2026 IWBF Wheelchair Basketball World Championships, which will take place in Ottawa, Ont., from Sept. 9–19, 2026.
In the women’s division, the top two teams will secure a direct berth to Ottawa 2026, while the third- and fourth-place finishers will advance to the Repechage Tournament. On the men’s side, the top three teams will qualify, with the fourth- and fifth-place teams advancing to the Repechage.
As the host nation, Canada has already qualified for the 2026 World Championships.
Senior Women’s National Team Head Coach Michèle Sung’s squad features a core of returning talent and promising newcomers.
Captains Élodie Tessier and Arinn Young, along with Sofia Fassi-Fehri, Melanie Hawtin, Bethany Johnson and Puisand Lai, are back after helping Canada to a fourth-place finish at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games—the Senior Women’s National Team’s best result in two decades.
Joining them are five athletes making their Senior National Team debut: Lily Brook, Elise Froese, Rosie Long, Kayla MacKinnon and Mercy Nyakundi.
“The Americas Cup is an exciting opportunity for our athletes to compete at a high level and continue developing as a team,” said Sung. “We’re looking forward to the challenge and the chance to represent with pride.”
Canada’s Senior Women’s National Team captured gold at the 2022 Americas Cup, defeating the United States 76–68 in São Paulo, Brazil, and finished fifth at the 2022 World Championships in Dubai.
The men’s Americas Cup roster includes six athletes who helped lead Canada to a fourth-place finish at the 2024 Paralympic Games—its best result since 2012. Captains Vincent Dallaire and Colin Higgins, along with Reed De’Aeth, Blaise Mutware, Lee Melymick and Garrett Ostepchuk, will compete in Colombia.
They’ll be joined by six newcomers making their debut with the Senior Men’s National Team: Josh Brown, Nasif Chowdhury, Broden Nagle, Ibrahim Odza, Kyrell Sopotyk and Lionel Tamoki.
“Our team has been putting in the work to be ready for the qualifier,” said Senior Men’s National Team Head Coach Matteo Feriani. “With six new faces joining us in Bogotá, we’re focused on building strong chemistry across the roster as we prepare for the Ottawa 2026 IWBF World Championships.”
The Senior Men’s National Team won bronze at the 2022 Americas Cup and finished sixth at the 2022 World Championships.
About Wheelchair Basketball Canada
Wheelchair Basketball Canada (WBC) is the national sports governing body responsible for the organization of the sport in Canada. It is a non-profit, charitable organization committed to excellence in developing, supporting, and promoting wheelchair basketball programs and services from grassroots to high performance for all Canadians. Wheelchair basketball is a fast-paced, hard-hitting, competitive sport in which Canada is held in high esteem worldwide for winning six gold, one silver, and one bronze medal over the last nine Paralympic Games. WBC will host the 2026 IWBF Wheelchair Basketball World Championships from September 9-19, 2026.
For more information on WBC, please visit Wheelchairbasketball.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
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Media Contact
Dhiren Mahiban
Communications & Digital Media Manager
Wheelchair Basketball Canada
C: 416-574-6682
dmahiban@wheelchairbasketball.ca