Our Wheelchair Basketball National Team, which has a leading role in the formation of disabled sports in our country, will not be able to participate in the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games according to the current quota criteria after its participation in the London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. Finally, our Nationals were not successful in the last ‘Continental Quota’ competitions at the European Paralympic Games held in Rotterdam. After losing the chance for a direct quota, they lost to Italy in the 5th place match required for the repechage tournament and our dreams of Paris were shattered. Of course, losing is as much a situation in sports as winning. The important thing is to learn the necessary lessons from these losses and take precautions for the future and to reach the level they deserve as soon as possible for our National athletes, who have an important place in the world’s wheelchair basketball.
TRANSFERRED TO THE BASKETBALL FEDERATION
What’s going on in wheelchair basketball is not just the sadness of not being able to attend the upcoming Paris Paralympic Games; concerns about the future of wheelchair basketball throughout the community. As it is known, with a decision taken a short time ago, this branch was taken from the Turkish Sports Federation for the Physically Handicapped, to which it has been affiliated since the beginning in our country, and transferred to the Turkish Basketball Federation. There will be pros and cons to this decision. While some athletes and administrators welcome this transfer process, another important part defends the opposite view.
FIBA DID NOT ACCEPT IWBF FOUNDED
The situation in wheelchair basketball is different from the beginning. Because this branch was not included in the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) at the time, an independent International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) was established. We summarized the situation in our country during the consultations we had with the senior executives of the IWBF that we know well. While there is an international federation that the Turkish Basketball Federation is personally affiliated with, they gave candid answers to our questions about how it would be related to the IWBF and stated that they should send an official letter declaring that they took over the wheelchair basketball management of the Turkish Basketball Federation to the IWBF. Noting that some countries have also resorted to this path recently, IWBF officials said that a new national wheelchair basketball federation, which is likely to be established, as in the other option, is the first of the Turkish National Paralympic Committee in order to ensure the budget issue -especially personnel payments – and to avoid problems in international relations. They also recommended it to be active.
LIFE QUESTIONS TO THE BASKETBALL FEDERATION
It is very important that the Turkish Basketball Federation officials, who took over wheelchair basketball, share their views on the subject with the wheelchair basketball community. Because, while there are vital questions that need to be answered, there are also serious problems brought about by the managerial change. First of all, the questions we expect to be announced from the new management are as follows;
What is the current situation in the scoring system, ie classification legislation, in wheelchair basketball? What is your roadmap for classification and classifier, while the number of certified experts, which is quite complicated and we define as classifiers, is already limited? Unless this issue is clarified, it is unfortunately not possible to take a healthy path in wheelchair basketball.
In terms of international sports law, the Turkish Basketball Federation is affiliated to FIBA. FIBA also does not include wheelchair basketball management. Therefore, will your contact with the IWBF, which you are not affiliated with, cause problems in your relations with FIBA?
What are your thoughts and planning about the Central Referee Committee and the referees? We think that overcoming all these difficulties will primarily lead to loss of time and resources.
RELATED INSTITUTIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS MUST MEET URGENTLY
On the other hand, an important part of the community expects the establishment of a new autonomous ‘Turkish Wheelchair Basketball Federation’. I would like to state that we believe that the formation of a new federation is possible with the participation of experienced and qualified individuals and institutions that have achieved the successes I mentioned above. This development will not only remove the division, but as I emphasized at the beginning of my article, it will restore our country’s important position in the wheelchair basketball world, which it has maintained for many years. Whether wheelchair basketball will be managed by the Turkish Basketball Federation or by the Wheelchair Basketball Federation, which is to be established, in the upcoming period, the authorized bodies of our ministry, as well as the authorities closely related to the issue, urgently come together and produce solutions, and which has been the locomotive of the disabled sports for years and has reached world standards. I would like to remind once again the necessity of drawing the road map of wheelchair basketball, and underline once again that all kinds of support will be given as the Turkish National Paralympic Committee.
İbrahim Gümüşdal, Secretary General of the Turkish National Paralympic Committee
2023-09-04 04:08:57
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