[Archive 2012-08-31] Brazil women's national wheelchair basketball team loses first game in its 2012 Paralympic campaign

Historical archive — originally published 2012-08-31. This report records what was known on that date. It is not current news; subsequent events may have changed the situation. Wikinews closed in May 2026.

London, England — Last night at London's Paralympic Basketball Arena, the Brazil women's national wheelchair basketball team kept it close in a game with the Australia women's national wheelchair basketball team before losing 52–50 to Australia. Brazil trailed by four with 32.3 seconds left in the game, narrowed the gap to two points with 1.3 seconds left but were unable to score in the final second.

Brazil played aggressive basketball, with five players earning personal fouls including Soares Martin with 4, Debora Crislina Guimaraes de Costa and Lucicleia da Costa e Costa with 3 each, and Cleonete de Nazare Santos and Cintia Mariana Lopes de Carvalho with 1 each. The Brazilians pinched Australian players several times by trying to force them to go over their wheelchairs and lose their balance. Sportsmanship was still on display, with the Brazilians helping to set Australia's Kylie Gauci upright after Gauci's wheelchair tipped over.

Brazil competed in the 2008 Summer Paralympics where they did not win a single match. They are scheduled to play the next game of their London campaign this Saturday against Great Britain.

Source and licence

Text adapted from Brazil women's national wheelchair basketball team loses first game in its 2012 Paralympic campaign by Wikinews contributors under CC BY 2.5. Paragraphs have been selected and abridged, and formatting adjusted. Contributor history.