Ireland’s wheelchair basketball team will travel to Samokov, Bulgaria, next week for the IWBF European Championships Division C, aiming to finish in the top two and earn promotion to Division B after narrowly missing out in 2023.
Head coach Con Coughlan has selected a 10-player panel for the campaign, with Stephen Melvin (Titans Galway) captaining a group that blends home-based experience with overseas club representation.
Ireland have been drawn in Pool B alongside Sweden, Finland, Armenia and Belgium. The top two advance to the semi-finals to face opponents emerging from Serbia, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Hungary or Denmark.
“All the preparation has gone well with great buy-in from the squad,” said Coughlan. “Both groups are strong, but for the moment, we have to concentrate on our side of the draw and take it one game at a time.”
“We’re going to leave it all out on the court and give it our best from all involved.”
Ireland are well placed in the current IWBF Europe rankings relative to their pool rivals — Belgium (20), Ireland (21), Finland (23), Armenia (25), Sweden (29) — while potential knockout opponents include Czech Republic (19), Bulgaria (22), Denmark (24), Hungary (26), Serbia (27). Although gold is the ultimate target, promotion is secured by a top-two overall finish.
Fixtures (IST)
Mon 8 Sept — 7:00 am: Ireland v Sweden
Mon 8 Sept — 4:00 pm: Finland v Ireland
Tue 9 Sept — 9:15 am: Ireland v Armenia
Wed 10 Sept — 11:30 am: Belgium v Ireland
Broadcast: All games will stream live on IWBF Europe’s YouTube channel.
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