Above: Australian Glider Katie Hill leads the fast-break during her side’s 31-1 series win over Japan last week.
By Paul Pickering
DANDENONG Basketball Stadium became a cultural melting pot last week when the Asia-Oceania region’s finest wheelchair basketballers rolled into town.
Men’s teams from China, Japan, Korea, Kuwait and Malaysia came to challenge the supremacy of Australia’s Olympic gold medal-winning Rollers in the Asia Oceania Championship, while the Aussie Gliders hosted the Japanese ladies in a four-game friendly series.
Dominant performances from both local teams gave the fans plenty to cheer about, but it was the infectious enthusiasm of the visitors that highlighted the week’s festivities.
Many of the international teams visited local schools as part of a cultural exchange program organised by the Dandenong Basketball Association, with students then showing their support by adopting that team as their own on game day.
DBA general manager Graeme Allan said the event was a success.
“It was an outstanding tournament and we’ve had some sensational feedback from both Basketball Australia and the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation,” he said.
“We had some fantastic support from local schools, the crowds were good, the atmosphere was fantastic and the comradeship between the teams was great.”
The Rollers progressed through the tournament unbeaten, accounting for Japan 68-51 in the final to secure automatic qualification for the World Championships in England next year.
Meanwhile, the Aussie girls defeated Japan 3-1 in preparation for their own 2010 World Championships campaign.
