HEIDELBERG (Germany) - Greece is to once again host a major hoops event with Heraklion being awarded the 2023 World Deaf Basketball Championships for Men and Women.

Returning to the country that staged the very first DIBF (Deaf International Basketball Federation) World Deaf Basketball Championships 2002, in Athens, the event will this time be held in the port city of Heraklion, which is the capital of Crete.

Heraklion has been the site of many big basketball events in recent times. The FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2015 was played there and it was also the venue for five of Greece's games in their successful European Qualifiers campaign for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019.

Turkey also applied to host the 2023 event in Ankara.

In announcing that Heraklion had been awarded the competition, DIBF President Ioannis Stoufis paid tribute to both Greece and Turkey, saying: "It was a very difficult decision for the members of the DIBF Central Board to choose the next country but with a sense of responsibility, with a clear conscience, and with the belief that the country that will take over the next championships, it will be successful and organized at a high level.

"Both countries have proved in previous basketball events that they have done very well."

Lithuania (2007, 2011, 2015) and USA (2019) have won the men's World Deaf Basketball Championships since, while in the women's tournament, the USA (2007, 2015), Sweden (2011) and Greece (2019) have captured the crown.  

FIBA