CAF International Women’s Basketball Team celebrates 10 years of competition
By SLt Taylor Rhuland
PATRICK FERRIOL
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) International Women’s Basketball Team is celebrating its 10th anniversary, marking a decade of international growth for women’s sport within the military.
Formed in 2016, the team brings together Regular and Reserve Force members from across the CAF. Over the past 10 years, the program has competed in major military sporting events around the world, including the Basketball World Military Championships in San Diego (2016) and Germany (2018), the World Military Games in China (2019), and the 3×3 World Military Championships in Germany (2022), Lithuania (2023), and Serbia (2024).
More recently, the team competed in the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) International Basketball Tournament in 2025 in Belgium, finishing fifth among NATO and allied teams.
Among the athletes representing Canada was Sailor First Class (S1) Tamara Timm, #20, who travelled with the team to Belgium. Growing up in Vaughan, Ont., she fell in love with basketball at age 11 and continued her career at Crandall University and the University of Prince Edward Island. She currently serves as a Human Resources Administrator at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Halifax.
Reflecting on her experience with the program, S1 Timm said “Returning to the sport has been especially meaningful and basketball has given me the opportunity to travel, compete and be part of a team environment again.”
Encouraged by friends to join the program, she says the experience has been one of her favourite aspects of military service. Her advice to young athletes is simple: “Be mentally tough. Mistakes will happen, pressure will come, but how you respond matters.”
Looking ahead, she sees a bright future for basketball in the CAF, with growing visibility and support for women’s programs. She added her belief that international military sport demonstrates how CAF members can excel in athletics while continuing to serve their country.
The CAF International Women’s Basketball Team is now preparing for the 2026 Basketball World Military Championships this summer in France, and is already looking ahead to the 2027 World Military Games in Charlotte, North Carolina. Team Manager Major Heather Smith says the program continues to develop and welcomes players who have a passion for the game.
