| Sport | Wheelchair basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1973 M / 1990 W |
| Country | IWBF members |
| Continent | IWBF (International) |
The IWBF World Wheelchair Basketball Championship (World Championships from 1973 to 2002 (2006) known as Gold Cup) is an international wheelchair basketball competition contested by the men's and the women's national teams of the members of the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF), the sport's global governing body.
The first unofficial Wheelchair Basketball World Championships for men was held in 1973,[1] with Bruges, Belgium being the first host city. The unofficial world championship for men was won by Great Britain, with a team that included Philip Craven,[2] who would later become the President of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). Bruges, Belgium also hosted the first official World Championships, known as the Gold Cup tournament, in 1975.
The men's world championships has been won 7 times by the United States, twice each by Australia and Great Britain (one of which being the unofficial Championship in 1973), and once each by Israel, France and Canada. Wheelchair basketball world championships for women have been held since 1990. In the first 6 women's world championships, Canada has won four world titles, and the United States two world titles.