A 10-strong Australian Gliders squad has landed in Japan ahead of the Osaka Cup which takes place between 16-18 February.
With the aim of elevating wheelchair basketball, the Osaka Cup serves as a key event for the Gliders to compete on the global stage as a team, contributing to their preparations for their future international events.
Headlining the tournament is top-ten nations Japan and Great Britain, accompanied by Thailand to round out the four-nation line up.
Head Coach Craig Campbell highlighted that these games are crucial in preparing the team for the upcoming Paris 2024 Repechage tournament, which is also scheduled to take place in Osaka this April.
“As we head towards the Repechage tournament in April, the Osaka Cup provides us with valuable games to continue to evolve the strength and depth of our bench which will make us more competitive at benchmark events.
“With one team already qualified for Paris (Great Britain) and three fighting for places via repechage (Australia, Japan, Thailand), we’re expecting the competition at the Friendship Games to be a bit more than just friendly.
“These games will provide players a platform to perform at a level that will force our coaching staff to make some tough selection decisions for upcoming tours.”
Gliders Squad
Jessica Cronje (4.0) |
Mary Friday (1.0) |
Katelin Gunn (1.5) |
Sara Houston (4.0) |
Maryanne Latu (2.0) |
Steph van Leeuwen (1.0) |
Georgia Munro-Cook (Captain) (4.5) |
Aaliyah Rauchle (3.0) |
Victoria Simpson (1.5) |
Ebony Stevenson (3.0) |
Schedule
Date |
Time |
Event |
16th Feb |
12.15pm AEDT |
Game 1 vs Japan |
17th Feb |
12.30pm AEDT |
Game 2 vs Thailand |
17th Feb |
4.00pm AEDT |
Game 3 vs Great Britain |
18th Feb |
TBC |
1 v 2 or 3 v 4 |
Live stream