IWBF General Assembly to kick off in Dubai tomorrow

DUBAI, 16th June, 2023 (WAM) — The General Assembly of the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation is set to commence tomorrow in Dubai, alongside the ongoing World Championship taking place at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

The three-day congress at the Habtoor Hilton Hotel will involve discussions on the federation’s reports from the past 4 years. The meetings will conclude with elections for the positions of president, vice president, and midterm renewal of the Board of Directors.

The current IWBF president, Ulf Mehernes of Germany, is running unopposed for re-election, having held the position since 2014.

Four candidates from the Netherlands, China Taipei, Austria, and Canada are vying for the vice president’s seat.

The list of candidates for membership seats includes a single Arab, Tawfiq Alloush of Lebanon. Alloush has been a member of the IWBF Executive Office for the past two terms and is running for election for the third time.

Thani Juma Belrakad, chairman of the organising committee for the World Wheelchair Basketball Championship, said that Dubai’s hosting of the IWBF Congress is a “new success added to the series of successes” of hosting the World Championship for the first time in the UAE and the region.

“We will follow up the work of the General Assembly to benefit from it in the next stage,” Belrakad said. “The UAE possesses competencies and cadres that qualify it for a distinguished position in the international and continental federations.”