The Australian Gliders are ready to take on the world as their campaign opens tonight against China in Ottawa, Canada. The Gliders, led by head coach Jeremy Synot, have named the same 12-player squad that helped Australia qualify for the tournament at the 2026 IWBF Women’s Repechage Tournament in Madrid.
The Gliders will draw on a wealth of veteran experience, with Shelley Matheson and Sarah Vinci continuing to help lead the side at the World Championships. Matheson has more than two decades of experience after first representing the Gliders in 2001. She has enjoyed success on the international stage, winning bronze at the 2002 World Championships and claiming three Paralympic medals — two silver and one bronze. Vinci has represented the Gliders since the 2011 Osaka Cup. She earned two silver medals at the U25 World Championships as a member of the Devils and was part of the Gliders’ Paralympic silver-medal campaign at the 2012 Games.
Georgia Munro-Cook enters the tournament in strong form after helping the Wombats win bronze at the 2026 Commonwealth Games. The centre averaged eight points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game, starring as one of Australia’s standout performers at the tournament. Munro-Cook first represented Australia as a member of the Devils at the 2015 U25 World Championships. The 2026 edition will mark her third IWBF World Championships as a Glider.
Munro-Cook will be joined by fellow Gliders teammates Ebony Stevenson, Taishar Ovens and Hannah Dodd. Dodd also represented the Wombats at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, bringing home a silver medal on that occasion. She has been a mainstay in Paralympic sport for Australia, having previously competed in Para-equestrian before taking up wheelchair basketball in 2013. Dodd has represented the Gliders since 2015 and won silver with the Devils at the 2015 U25 World Championships. The 2026 World Championships will be her third appearance at the tournament, following her selection for the Gliders at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
The Gliders have been pooled with Brazil, China, Great Britain, Spain and hosts Canada. Their campaign tips off tonight against China at 11:45pm AEST, with group-stage games to continue over the next week until 16 September.
Every game of the World Championships will be streamed live on the official IWBF and Wheelchair Basketball Canada YouTube channels.
