Wheelchair basketball is one of the most exciting and fast-paced events at the Paralympics. The Paris 2024 action will take place at the Bercy Arena in the French capital, with a host of countries vying for medals.

Eight men’s and eight women’s teams will compete, with more than 190 athletes taking part. This is a smaller number of teams than previous editions – Tokyo 2020 saw 12 men’s and 10 women’s teams compete.

The men’s field includes Great Britain, Spain, the US, Australia, France, the Netherlands, Germany and Canada. The women’s field includes the Netherlands, Great Britain, the US, China, Canada, Germany, Spain and Japan.

Two teams of five players compete on the court, with the hoop at the same height as in Olympic basketball. Given North America’s dominance in the sport worldwide, it is perhaps not surprising that teams from the US and Canada have dominated the Paralympic basketball competitions over the years.

Since 1960, the event has been contested in various forms at the Paralympic Games (in 1960 and 1964, only men’s teams competed, with two different disability classifications). The United States tops the medal table with 13 gold, two silver and eight bronze medals. Canada has six gold, one silver and one bronze medal.

Israel was strong in the early Paralympics, but has since faded as a force. In recent editions, the US, Canada, Australia and Great Britain have been the dominant male nations, with the Netherlands, Germany, the US and Australia strong in the women’s.

The Dutch women and the American men – looking for three Paralympic gold medals in a row – go to Paris as title holders.

Five stories follow…

Can anyone stop the Dream Team?

USA wheelchair basketball is flying high. They won both Tokyo 2020 and Rio 2016 and showed they will travel to France as favorites by also winning the most recent World Championship title in 2022.

They have had a great rivalry with the men from Great Britain in recent years and defeated them in the dramatic final of the 2022 World Cup in Dubai.

“The best thing about our team is our resilience,” said USA star Steve Serio. “The ability to play our best when the game gets toughest. We were behind at halftime (in the final against GB) and we made some adjustments that put us in a position to be successful.”

Dutch invincibles want to remain invincible

Like the American men, the Dutch women will be the team that will overturn in Paris. The Dutch won gold in Tokyo 2020 and have also won the last two world championships, in Dubai 2022 and Hamburg 2018. They have also dominated recent European championships.

One of their best offensive weapons is Mariska Beijer. “I am very happy, first of all I was excited to make it to six finals in a row – World Championships, European Championships and Paralympics and then to win the six titles in a row,” she said after the most recent World Championship victory.

“This is incredible. We want to continue this winning momentum.” They will have to be stopped a lot.

Japan aims for first Asian wheelchair basketball Paralympic gold

Asia has yet to win a gold medal at the Paralympic Games for both genders in wheelchair basketball. The closest any country has come was in Tokyo 2020, where the hosts lost a dramatic final to the USA, 64-60.

It was agony for the Japanese team, but one of their stars, Renshi Chokai, is using the loss to achieve his dream for 2024, becoming a style icon in the process.

“Many athletes have carried Parasports on their backs,” he said. “My style was to be competitive, to get more people to watch the games and then build a fan base. Based on the history of Parasports, I want to establish the image of cool in this era.” He will undoubtedly shine again in France.

British driven by ‘Supermums’

Team GB is on the rise, led by some remarkable women who combine elite sporting careers with motherhood. Teammates and couple Robyn Love and Laurie Williams will be battling it out for the 2023 European title, less than five months after their daughter Alba was born.

“I think as a parent it grounds you and makes you realize what’s important,” Love said. “I’m just grateful for the opportunity to show that moms can do it, parents can do it.”

France is back

The Paris 2024 hosts have had some decent men’s wheelchair basketball teams over the years, winning gold in 1984 and bronze medals in 1976, 1988 and 1992. They have also won three silver medals at the World Championships, most recently in 2010.

The team then slumped for a decade – failing to qualify for the 2014 and 2018 World Cups – but has recently started to show signs of life again. Despite an early exit from the most recent World Cup, France have put in some decent performances and will be looking to impress on home soil this summer.

“The team has been building for the last two years for the World Championships, the European Championships and the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games,” said head coach Karim El Guedda. “It is a new team and hopefully the same players will play at the Paralympic Games. The preparation has been good.”