Canadian men primed for next step at 2026 IWBF Wheelchair Basketball World Championships

OTTAWA – Canada’s men’s wheelchair basketball team is tapping into its experience leading up to the 2024 Paralympic Games as it prepares for the 2026 IWBF Wheelchair Basketball World Championships.

The worlds are set for September 9-19 in Ottawa. Click HERE for ticket information.

The circumstances are similar to those summer months before the Games in Paris. The Canadian men are a team still working through some challenges, building its chemistry, and finding consistency in preparation for when it really counts.

‘’We had a lot of ups and downs as well going into Paris that we were able to overcome,’’ said Tyler Miller, a member of the Canadian team that placed fourth in the French capital, its best Games result since 2012. ‘’There is light at the end of this tunnel and we just have to keep on pushing.’’

The result in Paris continued the team’s progress since finishing 12th place at the 2018 worlds. The team was eighth at the 2020 Paralympics and sixth at the 2022 worlds before its fourth place in Paris two years ago.

The Canadian roster for the Ottawa worlds features seven returnees from both the 2024 Paralympic Games and 2022 World Championships: Reed De’Aeth, Nik Goncin, Colin Higgins, Lee Melymick, Tyler Miller, Blaise Mutware and Garrett Ostepchuk. They are joined by Josh Brown, Ibrahim Odza, Kyrell Sopotyk and Lionel Tamoki, who made their Team Canada debuts at the 2025 IWBF Americas Cup in Bogotá.

Miller said the team is experimenting with different combinations and systems, and he is encouraged by the progress.

‘’There’s a lot of good progress here,’’ he continued on Wheelchair Basketball Canada’s Instagram account. ‘’Now it’s just a matter of us converting on some of the opportunities we’re creating.  Even defensively we are trying different tactics, really trying to push ourselves.’’

Veteran Nik Goncin says Canada’s experience in international play should serve the team well when the worlds begin.

‘’It’s a process,’’ he said. ‘’There’s a lot of stuff we’re doing good in practice that’s translated into the games. We’re going to be a better team once the world championships start.’’