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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