The Australians were pitted in the so called "Group of Death" alongside European powerhouses Sweden, Germany and Italy, but proved too strong for their Scandinavian opponents on the opening day of competition inside the Songnim Gymnasium in the South Korean city, which is due to stage this year's Asian Games and Asian Para Games

The defending champions had to dig deep in the first period with the Swedes pushing them hard from buzzer to buzzer to finish the quarter 15-14 ahead.

The second was where the Australian really came alive, however, settling into a fine rhythm to pull six clear and stamp their authority on the encounter.

Sweden battled back in the third as they pulled to within four but the effort proved too much as Australia, who won the previous Championships in Birmingham four years ago.

The other Group D encounter saw Italy triumph over European rivals Germany as each team pursues a first World Championship medal.

In what proved a topsy-turvy fixture, Italy had to fight back from six down in the first period to edge in front 25-24 at the halftime interval.

The match fizzled out somewhat in the third period with neither side hitting double figures, before Germany stormed ahead in the final quarter to seal the win 55-44.

European champions Britain also got their tournament off with a win as they defeated Argentina 60-51 in what is just the second World Championship appearance for the Argentines, their first coming in Edmonton, Canada, in 1994.

European Champions Great Britain sealed a win in their opening game of the World Wheelchair Basketball Championships ©Getty Images


South Korea have ended each of their last three World Championship appearances with an 11th placed finish but got off to a great start in front of their home fans with a 72-61 victory over Mexico to sit top of Group A.

London 2012 bronze medallists the United States began their nine-day journey with a victory over Turkey in Group B.

The six-time world champions, the most of any team in wheelchair basketball history, will be looking to get back to winning ways after missing out on gold in each of the last two tournaments with their solid 74-57 victory a good omen going into the rest of the competition.

Colombia's debut at a World Championships was marked with a remarkable 70-38 victory over Algeria in the opening fixture of the competition, putting them top of Group C after what was the highest winning margin of the opening day.

The Netherlands were left unsettled in their opening encounter as they were toppled by Asian powerhouse Japan 62-51 in Group B.

Spain and Iran's opening day fixture saw the European giants come out on top as they powered to the top of Group B with a 66-45 win.

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