EDMONTON – For the third time in school history, and first since 2001, the U SPORTS Women's Basketball Championship is coming to Edmonton in March of 2024.
 
The Pandas Basketball program hosted consecutive national championships in 2000 and 2001, coming on the heels of winning the 1999 CIAU Championship in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

"We are thrilled to be awarded the 2024 U SPORTS Championship. For our athletes to have the opportunity to play for a national championship on their home court is going to be a special experience," said Pandas head coach Scott Edwards. "For our basketball community to see the best players in the country compete in Edmonton will hopefully inspire them to be like those players. We can't wait to welcome the best teams in the country to the Saville Centre in 2024!" 

The 2024 Championship will mark the fourth U SPORTS Championship held at Saville Community Sports Centre, with Golden Bears and Pandas Athletics successfully hosting the 2017 Men's Volleyball Championship, 2019 Women's Volleyball Championship, and 2022 Men's Basketball Final 8.
 
The successful bid to secure the championship further enhances the City of Edmonton's status as the home of women's basketball in Canada, with the Saville Centre also being home to the Senior Women's National Team since 2013.

"It's so exciting that we get to play in an event like this at home, in front of our family, friends, and alumni," said third-year Pandas forward Claire Signatovich. "It will also be a really great way to showcase basketball in Edmonton, and celebrate the legacy of the Edmonton Grads." 
 
The Pandas Basketball program is consistently one of the top teams in Canada West, with Scott Edwards owning a 239-77 career conference record. The Pandas have qualified for the national tournament in six of Edwards' 17 seasons, highlighted by a national silver medal in 2007, and bronze in 2009.
 
"We are ecstatic to bring the U SPORTS Women's Basketball Championships back to the University of Alberta and the City of Edmonton. Earning the opportunity to showcase women's basketball and our Pandas Basketball student-athletes is something we are very excited about," said University of Alberta Interim Director of Athletics, Katie Spriggs.
 
"Being awarded the right to host this event and to celebrate fantastic student-athletes is the result of the collective efforts of our athletics staff, the Pandas basketball team and alumni, the GO Sports Partners and the Saville Community Sports Centre, Edmonton Events and our corporate sponsors. We invite all of the fans and supporters of Golden Bears & Pandas Athletics to pack Saville in March 2024 and to show U SPORTS and the rest of Canada how excited you are about the Pandas and Women's Basketball."
 
Golden Bears and Pandas Athletics and U SPORTS have once again partnered with Explore Edmonton to host the championship.
 
"We are so excited to have the top women's university basketball teams in the country converge on our city in 2024 and add another chapter to Edmonton's storied history as a strong supporter of women's basketball within Canada," said Cindy Medynski, Director, Sport & Culture - Explore Edmonton. "The University of Alberta and U SPORTS executed a phenomenal Men's Basketball Championship in 2022, and we are eager to continue our work with all partners to make 2024's event unforgettable for all visitors to Edmonton."

The University of Alberta is also slated to host the 2022 U SPORTS Wrestling Championship (February 25/26). The 2023 U SPORTS Championship will take place March 9^th to 12^th in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.
 
QUICK FACTS

• The Pandas Basketball team hosted the CIAU Women's Basketball championships in 2000 and 2001 in the UofA's Main Gymnasium.
• This event will be the 18th time a Canada West school has hosted the U SPORTS Women's Basketball Championship. Calgary (4), Regina (4), Alberta (3), Saskatchewan (3), and Victoria (2) have all hosted the event multiple times in Western Canada.
• The Competition Gym, which is home to the Golden Bears and Pandas Basketball and Volleyball teams, will have a capacity of roughly 2,500 for the U SPORTS Championship.
• The 2024 tournament will feature 11 total games, with the championship using a single-elimination bracket format. The tournament will begin with four quarter-final games, with the losers of those games competing in the consolation bracket