In front of a roaring crowd, the French men's wheelchair basketball team managed to secure their ticket to the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
4 games, 4 wins... Les Bleus qualified for the Games with panache, winning the Antibes qualifying tournament on April 15! A flawless performance that sees them join Germany, Canada, the Netherlands, Great Britain, the United States, Australia and Spain in the world's top 8.
The achievement is all the more remarkable given that the last time the French wheelchair basketball team took part in the Paralympic Games was 20 years ago in Athens! With this qualification, France is now involved in all 22 parasports included in the Paris 2024 Games program.
The promise of emotional matches
Les Bleus won Paralympic gold in 1984. What if they could repeat the feat on home soil this year? The athletes are dreaming of it, but the challenge is huge in the face of the discipline's behemoths such as Great Britain and the United States. The events will take place between August 29 and September 8, 2024 at the Arena Bercy in Paris.
Other winners of the evening
Some spectators at the Antibes tournament were able to put themselves in the athletes' shoes, thanks to the EDF Challenge organized during half-time. The principle: randomly selected members of the public competed in duels on a slalom course and on attempted shots. The first to score a basket won... tickets to the Paralympic Games!
A demanding sport
The spectators who took part in the game were well aware that wheelchair basketball calls for a good dose of technique and cardio fitness. As with the able-bodied, a match is divided into ten-minute quarters, five against five, on baskets 3.05 metres high. Players are ranked according to the severity of their handicap, with a grade from 1 (for the most severe disabilities) to 4.5 (for a mild handicap). The total score of all players on the team must not exceed 14. Speed, skill, team spirit: all the ingredients for spectacular matches!
