Located at the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC), Wheelchair Basketball Canada claimed that the academy is the first of its kind in the world and its goal is to help identify and produce the next generation of elite wheelchair basketball athletes to compete at future Paralympic Games and World Championships.

"We are entering into a new, exciting era in wheelchair basketball and Canada's objective is to be number one in the world," said Wheelchair Basketball Canada executive director Wendy Gittens.

"Thanks to the ongoing support of our partners, the Government of Canada, Own the Podium, the Government of Ontario, the Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC), the Canadian Sport Institute Ontario, and the University of Toronto Scarborough, we are poised to build on the success of Canada's senior national teams which have captured a combined six gold, one silver, and one bronze medal in the last six Paralympic Games."

Canada is the second most successful nation in terms of men's wheelchair basketball gold medals, having won at Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and London 2012, while the women's team also have three Paralympic titles from Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000.

Mike Frogley, who lead the Canadian men to victory as head coach in 2000 and 2004, is to become the new National Academy director after a successful spell as head coach in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) where he lead the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and the University of Illinois to a combined 12 national championship titles.

"The National Academy goes beyond being excellent to being the very best and developing the very best," said Frogley.

"It will take good athletes and make them great wheelchair basketball players.

"It will take great teams and make them world champions and Paralympic gold medallists.

"It is the new gold standard, not just innovative, but groundbreaking to such an extent as to lead and change the game of wheelchair basketball."

The National Academy, which will utilise existing facilities at UTSC until construction on the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games Sports Centre and Field House is completed next year, will initially be home to nine male and four female wheelchair basketball athletes who have been specially selected through the Wheelchair Basketball Canada Long Term Athlete Development Model, and the aim is to have 24 full-time athletes training at the academy.

Members of Canada's victorious men's team at London 2012 celebrate after beating Australia in the gold medal match