Six teams from across the Asia Oceania Zone will contest the tournament in Dandenong, Victoria from October 13-17 with Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Kuwait, China and Australia the competing nations.

The top three teams from the event will qualify for the 2010 IWBF World Championship to be held in Birmingham, England in July next year.

Five Beijing Paralympic Games gold medallists – Justin Eveson, Shaun Norris, Michael Hartnett, Grant Mizens and Captain Brad Ness – bolster a Rollers team that also contains four members of Australia’s U23 team.

Reigning Paralympic champion Australia will enter the tournament as hot favourite but Rollers head coach Ben Ettridge said he expects solid competition.

“Japan and Korea always bring the best out of us; we’re expecting tough games and we’re out to win them,” Ettridge said.

“We have a good mix of youth and experience and it’s a great opportunity for some of our inexperienced players to show me what they can do and whether they can put pressure on those above them.

“We’re also glad to be getting a look at the developing nations like Kuwait and Malaysia to see how much they have improved.”

Fresh off receiving the International Paralympic Committee’s Paralympic Media Award for its television broadcast of the Beijing Paralympics, ABC TV will be the event’s broadcast partner with content aired on ABC2 at 6:00pm AEDT from October 13-17.

Australia’s women’s wheelchair basketball team, which along with Japan and China will represent the Asia Oceania Zone at the 2010 IWBF World Championship for women, will contest a four game series against Japan as part of the event.

Tickets (Adult $8, Child $2, Family $20) are available from Dandenong Basketball Association on (03) 9794 7192.

The Australian men’s wheelchair basketball team for the 2009 Asia Oceania Championship:
(playing number / name / classification / date of birth / current club)

4 / Justin EVESON / 4.5 / 10.6.80 / Perth Wheelcats – Galatasaray, Turkey
5 / Bill LATHAM / 4.0 / 29.10.89 / Wenty League Wheelkings – CD Once Andalusia, Spain
6 / Shawn RUSSELL / 4.0 / 15.6.897 / Wollongong Roller Hawks
7 / Shaun NORRIS / 3.0 / 2.4.85 / Perth Wheelcats – Fundosa Once, Spain
8 / Michael HARTNETT / 1.0 / 3.6.82 / Perth Wheelcats – Lottomattica Elecom, Rome, Italy
9 / Scott CROWLEY / 3.0 / 22.5.80 / Adelaide Thunder
10 / Adam DEANS / 4.0 / 16.6.88 / Perth Wheelcats
11 / Jannik BLAIR / 1.0 / 3.2.92 / Victoria Dandenong Rangers
12 / Grant MIZENS / 2.0 / 19.4.77 / Sydney Razorbacks
13 / Erik HORRIE / 2.5 / 17.10.79 / Brisbane Spinning Bullets
14 / Jeremy DOYLE / 1.0 / 2.11.83 / Wenty League Wheelkings
15 / Brad NESS / 4.5 / 24.11.74 / Perth Wheelcats – Lottomattica Elecom, Rome, Italy

Staff:
Head Coach: Ben Ettridge
Asst. Coaches: Craig Friday, Tom Kyle
Manager: Kelvin Browner
Physio: Ian Lowther