大象传媒

Over the last eight years, the Canadian men's team have dominated international wheelchair basketball to such an extent you could say they are the second major dynasty that China has seen.

They have won three out of four of the global titles since the Sydney Paralympics in 2000 and it is very hard to argue against Canada making history by becoming the first team to win three straight Paralympic golds in the event - a as our NBA friends would put it.

With - arguably the best player in the world - leading the way, they have taken the game to another level, but by doing so they have forced the rest of the world to raise their game as well.

For the first time we have seen a dent in their normally pristine armour. Canada have lost three times this year, with all of the defeats inflicted by a young, in-form, and very talented that is hungry for success.

However, the USA are not the only team to have raised their game.

The powerful Aussies, , were considered favourite to win gold before the USA's hot winning streak and I see four teams fighting it out for medals - USA, Canada, Australia and GB.

GB have made steady progress since the appointment of former Rollers head coach .

He has instilled discipline and shaken up what was starting to look like an ageing team.

After speaking to many of the guys over the past year, it seems like Treseder has energised the GB boys with his tough-but-fair coaching techniques.

But don't be fooled by his quiet off-court demeanour, beneath that cool exterior lies the fiery determination of a winner (would we expect anything less from an Aussie?)

If GB manage to finish in the top three in their group then they will almost certainly avoid Canada in the crossover games.

That would give them a good quarter-final match-up, followed by a possible semi-final showdown against Australia or the US, both of whom GB have beaten in big games at major championships.

At each Paralympics, the level of wheelchair basketball has risen, but this time I think we will see the depth of talent increasing.

More teams will be competitive and I am also looking forward to some exciting performances from teams like Sweden who are well equipped to give any team problems on their day with their lightning quick guard Hussein Haidari and the talented lefty Peter Kohlstrom, as well as Germany and Israel.

The GB women face an extremely tough battle to medal in Beijing where their group features three of the top four teams in the world - USA, Germany and Australia.

Coach Garry Peel will be looking for steady improvement from his team, as well as some big performances from his younger talent who should hopefully blossom in , after gaining invaluable experience at these games.

For GB's men, a medal is possible but they will need a consistent tournament from their talented floor leader Jon Pollock, who I believe is back to his stunning best.

Simon Munn must be a lion and dominate the boards at both ends of the court.

The rest of the team must step up and put in steady and consistent performances because, unlike some of the other teams, GB's success will rely on all 12 of the players having a great tournament.

My prediction is another third place but I hope they can prove me wrong and go all the way!

Others to watch: - versatile small forward and star of a Nike television ad; Brad Ness (Australia) - captain and will be leading by example; Richard Nortje (South Africa) - important scorer for SA and has a tattoo of the grim reaper in basketball attire on his arm; Abdi Jama (GB) - will provide much-needed scoring to support Munn and Pollock; Helen Freeman (GB) - making her Paralympic debut and one to watch for the future.