Canada won gold in both the women’s and men’s tournaments at the inaugural 3×3 wheelchair basketball world championships on Sunday in Sun City, South Africa.
The Canadian women completed an undefeated run with a 17-12 victory over Spain in the final, going 6-0 at the three-day event.
Canada’s women’s team is comprised of Kady Dandeneau of Pender Island, B.C., Tamara Steeves of Mississauga, Ont., Élodie Tessier of Saint-Germain de Grantham, Que., and Toronto’s Puisand Lai.
“Spain came out insanely physical, we knew they would. They were hitting chairs and, in our face — all over us,” Dandeneau said. “I think we kept our composure and still competed with them and stuck to what we’ve been doing, which is playing our game.”
Watch Canada take on Spain in the final of the 2025 IWBF 3×3 Open Women’s World Championships from Sun City, South Africa.
Dandeneau was named tournament MVP while Tessier earned tournament all-star honours.
“I think being any kind of world champion is pretty sweet,” Dandeneau added. “To do it for the first time — it’s history.”
Canada topped Great Britain 15-10 in the semifinals earlier in the day, while Spain edged Australia 9-7 to reach the final.
The Canadians also beat Spain in its opening game, 14-7. They reached the final four with a dominant 21-3 win over South Africa’s A team.
Pender Island’s Kady Dandeneau has represented Canada at the Paralympics and won gold at the Commonwealth Games. In a month, she’ll represent her country at the first-ever 3×3 wheelchair basketball world championships in South Africa. Dandeneau talked to CBC’s On The Coast about how the 3×3 format offers a lower barrier to entry for many athletes.
The Canadian men’s squad won its historic world title by rallying past Spain 14-9 later Sunday, avenging its lone loss of the tournament.
Canada fell 18–12 to the Spaniards on Friday in its second game after running into foul trouble.
Canada is represented by Quebec City’s Vincent Dallaire, Colin Higgins of Rothesay, N.B., Lee Melymick of Toronto and Garrett Ostepchuk of Regina.
“Super cool experience,” said Higgins, who was named tournament MVP. “We knew Spain was going to be tough; they beat us in pool play, so we knew we didn’t have much to lose. We came out, we hit a couple of shots and won the game.
“My teammates are awesome,” he added. “They worked so hard, it’s awesome to see them rewarded, hitting some buckets today and stealing us the victory.”
The Canadians advanced to the gold-medal game earlier with their second close win over Austria at worlds, taking the semifinal 13-12. Canada opened the tournament with a 17–15 overtime win over the Austrians on Friday, with Higgins scoring the decisive points.
Canada, which went 6-1 in Sun City, edged Australia 12-9 in Saturday’s quarterfinals.
Watch Canada take on Spain in the final of the 2025 IWBF 3×3 Open Men’s World Championships from Sun City, South Africa.
Hosted by Wheelchair Basketball South Africa, the 2025 IWBF 3×3 Open World Championships celebrates the growth of 3×3 wheelchair basketball and offers smaller nations an opportunity to shine on the global stage.
This is the second 3×3 event for Canada’s wheelchair basketball teams. The women won gold and the men took silver at the sport’s debut at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.
