CHARLOTTE (Steve Goldberg's Wheel World) - It's still cold here in North Carolina but I'm thinking about an ambitious summer for Incheon.

Korea's third largest city, Incheon is less than 20 miles (32 kilometers) southwest of Seoul on Korea's west coast and it's preparing for an invasion of athletes. It will host the 17th Asian Games in September that will bring some 13,000 athletes from 45 countries to the area, and the Asian Para Games in October that will welcome another 4,500 athletes from 42 countries.

But the summer of sport in Incheon begins with the IWBF Men's World Championships that runs July 5-14. Growing to 16 teams this year, it will be the biggest wheelchair basketball event in Korea since the 1988 Paralympic Games in Seoul.

The tournament draw took place last week.

Along with Korea Wheelchair Basketball President Jansgil Kim, the draw was presided over by IWBF President Maureen Orchard with Ulf Mehrens, an IWBF Vice President.

"We were both very impressed with the brand new venue," said Orchard, referring to the Songrim Gymnasium, a new venue that will be used for the Championship. "It is fully accessible with seating for 7,000 and is only a short distance from the hotels the teams will stay in. The primary arena is the Samsan Gymnasium which will host half of the first round games and all of the play-off games and is also very accessible."

As the prerequisite balls were pulled determining team groupings, the questions were answered for men's national team coaches as to who they'll face in the first round. One could figuratively hear the coaching brain gears grinding as match-ups and defensive schemes danced through their heads.

According to the 2014 Asian Para Games site, wheelchair basketball in Korea started with the formation of teams at the Samyook Rehabilitation Center in 1984 and Jeongnip Hoegwan. It became a demonstration sport at the 1985 National Sports Games for the Disabled and gained popularity after participation in the 1988 Seoul Paralympics.

The Korea Wheelchair Basketball Federation was established in 1997 and currently has about 500 players from 29 teams including the business team of Seoul Metropolitan City are actively playing.

Korea's wheelchair basketball team, which is competing with Japan for regional bragging rights, took bronze in the Guangzhou 2010 Asian Para Games, as well as in the predecessor FESPIC (Far East and South Pacific Games for the Disabled) Games in Kuala Lumpur in 2006 and Beijing in 1994. They won gold in Bangkok in 1999 and silver in Busan in 2002.

Having covered the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, I have no doubt that Korea will be wonderful hosts but I wouldn't hold out for a medal for the home team.

Here's how the first round groups sorted out:
Group A: Argentina, Great Britain, Korea, Mexico
Group B: Iran, Japan, Spain, Netherlands
Group C: Algeria, Colombia, Turkey, USA
Group D: Australia, Germany, Italy, Sweden

With current Paralympic champs Canada watching from home, the early favorite has to be Australia, the thunder from down under, silver medalists in London and defending world champions from 2010, which just named the 21 players from which it will name its Incheon squad. Eight of them, including war horses such as Tristan Knowles, Brad Ness, Shaun Norris and Justin Eveson, are London vets. Also on the roster are three key players from last year's U23 World team, Luke Pople, Tom O'Neill-Thorne, and Jannik Blair who also played in London.

"The depth of this extended squad is truly a testament to the talent that currently lies in the Rollers program," said coach Ben Ettridge. To build the edge for Incheon, the competition to get there begins now.

"The goal of the Rollers program is always to have pressure from beneath. No one owns their spot in the team and must earn it."

Korea was the last place in which the American side stood atop the podium at the Paralympic Games after the controversial disqualification in Barcelona knocked them off in 1992. They were world champions in Kitakyushu, Japan in 2002, silver medalists in 2006 in Amsterdam, and took bronze in 2010 in Birmingham, England. After decisively winning the Americas Zone, Ron Lykin's squad is another contender for the gold.

Of the 16 players narrowed down to the current USA roster, 11 were on the 12 man team that won the Americas Zone. Only three of those - Brian Bell, Matt Scott, and Steve Serio - were on the London Paralympic team. That has now doubled with Trevon Jenifer, Paul Schulte, and Josh Turek being added.

If this were Vegas, Great Britain, Turkey and Germany would be next up on the odds chart. As the weather warms up, if it ever warms up here, and July gets closer, there will be more to talk about.

Meanwhile, down in Alabama, the USA women are hosting Japan and Australia for the three team Lakeshore Cup. The USA and Australia met in a London Semi-Final with the Gliders going on to meet Germany in the Paralympic Final.

In the first three of four matches between the two, the Americans won them all by comfortable double figures.

What does that portend for Toronto, where the Women's World Championship will be held? Not much at this time. Tournaments like this are more about finding out who you are than who they are. It's a warm-up. But I like the sound of that.

Steve Goldberg

FIBA

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