“An important step in terms of inclusion”
German athlete Lilly Sellak talks about the premiere of 3x3 wheelchair basketball at the World University Games.
Interview: Johannes Göbel,
09.07.2025 
Lilly Sellak is just 22, but has already achieved a great deal in sport. She was hit by a tram at the age of 16. Afterwards she began playing wheelchair basketball - with phenomenal success. A student at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, she talked to us about her upcoming participation in the World University Games.
Ms Sellak, what are your expectations of the World University Games in Germany?
I’m very much looking forward to the atmosphere, which I expect to be amazing. The chance to meet and talk to other athletes from around the world will be a memorable experience. I’ve only been playing wheelchair basketball for six years, but now, after the Paris Paralympics, I’m already about to take part in my second major global event. This year’s World University Games will include 3x3 wheelchair basketball - the first time parasport has featured on its programme. This means a lot to our team, and represents an important step in terms of inclusion.
Athletes who cannot take public interest for granted have the chance at the World University Games to raise their profile in an outstanding competition.
What is the significance of the games for you as a student?
From my perspective, the games also pay tribute to the willingness to combine high-level academic and sporting achievements. Athletes who cannot take public interest for granted have the chance to raise their profile in an outstanding competition. I am studying medicine at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg and play wheelchair basketball for RSV Bayreuth in the Bundesliga and in Germany’s national team. Without proper organisation and good time management it would be impossible to juggle these different activities. That said, my university does acknowledge my situation as a competitive athlete and repeatedly makes concessions as far as deadlines are concerned. Sport and university are my two passions, and I want to combine the two as best I can.
3x3 wheelchair basketball is the first parasport discipline to be included in the World University Games. Does this reflect a wider basketball boom in Germany?
I think so, yes. Both the women’s and men’s national teams are successful, also in wheelchair basketball. Germans play in the top leagues in the USA, and Germany’s wheelchair basketball Bundesliga, where women and men play in mixed teams, is considered one of the world’s most competitive leagues. The gold medal scooped by the 3x3 women at the Olympics in Paris generated great impetus. At the World University Games, the para athletes will alternate with the other basketball players on the court so that spectators can easily follow the different competitions. I live for this sport and think it’s wonderful that it is being given such a special platform.
