CHARLOTTE (Steve Goldberg's Wheel World) - With Europe and the Americas decided, the pending Asia-Oceania (Oct. 20-29) and Africa (Nov. 17-26) zone tournaments will close out the contenders for next year's IWBF World Championships, which will take place in Hamburg, Germany.

To paraphrase a famous football quote, "Basketball isn't life and death; it's far more important than that." Until it isn't.

The passion, dedication, and determination needed to succeed in basketball, or any pursuit, will never be more needed than now in the areas affected by natural disasters visited in the form of hurricanes and earthquakes.

Just a few weeks ago, the wheelchair and standing basketball teams of Puerto Rico were experiencing the joy and pride of representing their country at the IWBF and FIBA Americas regional tournaments. No matter how tough the opposition was there, nothing could be as difficult as what they face now, their Caribbean island nation working to come back from the devastation left in the wake of Hurricane Maria.

Only basketball was on the minds of Puerto Rico's national wheelchair basketball team at the Americas Cup tournament in Cali, Colombia a few weeks ago. Photo courtesy of Inspire Colombia

Reuters reported that Maria struck the island of 3.4 million inhabitants, as a Category 4 storm and cut a path of destruction through the center of the island, ripping roofs from buildings and triggering widespread flooding. Torrential rain from the storm sent several rivers to record levels over their banks with dams threatening to fail. These are difficult enough situations for anyone but obviously more so for those with mobility issues.

Also in the path were the Virgin Islands and Dominican Republic which had also previously dealt with Hurricane Irma. Mexico was rocked by an earthquake measuring a violent 6.1, leveling many buildings in Mexico City and surrounding areas.

I would like to report that all the smiling faces in the photo above are safe and out of harm's way. But I can't. With power and communications totally compromised, word on how the athletes and other association members have fared is difficult to come by.  If I may be so bold as to speak on behalf of the global basketball family, our prayers and hopes are with all affected.

Fortunately, the forces of nature were not the only news though it does put all into perspective.

Thailand were double champions at the 9th ASEAN Games in Kuala Lumpur, winning both 5x5 and 3x3 gold. Photo courtesy of IWBF.org

Thailand was the big winner at the 9th ASEAN Para Games that just wrapped in Kuala Lumpur, winning both the full-sided and 3x3 competitions over hosts Malaysia. Bronze went to the Philippines in both competitions with wins over Myanmar.

While 3x3 is already on the Olympic schedule for 2020 in Tokyo, the IWBF is actively engaged in growing the small-sided game to help expand the wheelchair game in developing nations where access to facilities and numbers are limited.

Host Malaysia versus eventual gold medalists Thailand in 5x5 competition.

Speaking of Tokyo, the Japanese capitol hosted a new tournament on the way to pushing the home team for a title run in 2020. One notable fan at the first Mitsubishi World Challenge Cup organized by the Japanese Wheelchair Basketball Federation, was UK Prime Minister Theresa May, who popped in to see her home team Great Britain battle the Australia men's side. She hung around to meet the players and staff, who lost to the Aussies 54-50.

British Prime Minister Theresa takes time to catch a bit of basketball during her trip to Japan, rooting on the GB men against Australia. Photo courtesy of IWBF.org

Australia took top honors winning all their games and beating the Brits a second time, 76-54 in the final. Japan finished third after trouncing Turkey 75-39.

Going forward, let's hope for only good news, and that it all be about competition between teams, not with nature.

Steve Goldberg

FIBA

FIBA's columnists write on a wide range of topics relating to basketball that are of interest to them. The opinions they express are their own and in no way reflect those of FIBA.

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