Author: MJT
The Growing Popularity Of Wheel Chair Basketball
The History Of Wheel Chair Basketball
The exact origination of wheel chair basketball or wheel
chair sports in general is an issue not completely agreed upon. In the opinion of many people though, it
began with the Stoke Mandeville Wheelchair Games in 1946. Stroke Mandeville was a hospital that devised
an Olympics-like competition for twenty-six of its disabled patients. Basketball was added in 1956. A team called the Pan Am Jets was the first
tournament winner of wheel chair basketball.
In 1973 the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation or IWBF was
spun off from the International Stoke Mandeville Games Federation. This is the body that still governs the sport
today.
Differences In The Rules Of Wheel Chair Basketball And
Conventional Basketball
Many of the rules by which wheel chair basketball is played
are standardized and similar to rules of conventional basketball like the
NBA. For example, standard court
markings and a ten-foot goal are commonly used.
Some notable differences include the concept of “traveling.” In normal basketball, traveling is the act of
moving both feet while holding or not dribbling the basketball. This is closely related to the error known as
double-dribbling, which occurs when a player stops dribbling, holds the ball
and then dribbles again. In wheel chair
basketball, these rules are modified slightly to account for the wheel chairs
Player Classifications In Wheel Chair Basketball
Before any player competes in a regulated game of wheel
chair basketball, they are classified with a number system between 1 and 5,
based on the severity of their handicapped.
A player who is almost completely paralyzed would be classified as a
1.0. This is the most handicapped person
who still has the minimum amount of mobility required to participate in the
sport. On the other end of the spectrum,
a person with very mild paralysis would be a 4.5, and an able-bodied, non-paralyzed
person would be a 5.0. It is a testament
to the growing popularity of wheel chair basketball that non-paralyzed persons
are now allowed to play, simply for the fun of it. This numeric classification system is used to
balance the teams and ensure fairness.
Who Can Play?
The most important thing to remember about the sport is
that, IWBF or not, anyone can play.
Nowadays you don’t even have to be wheel chair bound! But if you are a person in a wheel chair,
consider wheel chair basketball as a great way to get exercise, have fun and
make the best of your situation.
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