Wheelchair

Wheelchair basketball is basketball played by people with varying physical disabilities that disqualify them from playing an able-bodied sport. These include spina bifida, birth defects, cerebral palsy, paralysis due to accident, amputations (of the legs, or other parts), and many other disabilities. The International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) is the governing body for this sport. It is recognized by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) as the sole competent authority in wheelchair basketball worldwide. FIBA has recognized IWBF under Article 53 of its General Statutes.

The IWBF has 82 National Organizations for Wheelchair Basketball (NOWBs) participating in wheelchair basketball throughout the world, with this number increasing each year. It is estimated that more than 100,000 people play wheelchair basketball from recreation to club play and as elite national team members.

Wheelchair basketball is included in the Paralympic Games. The Wheelchair Basketball World Championship is played two years after every Paralympic Games. Major competition in wheelchair basketball comes from Canada, Australia, the United States, Great Britain, the Netherlands, and Japan.

Wheelchair basketball retains most major rules and scoring of basketball, and maintains a 10-foot basketball hoop and standard basketball court. The exceptions are rules which have been modified with consideration for the wheelchair. For example, “travelling” in wheelchair basketball occurs when the athlete touches their wheels more than twice after receiving or dribbling the ball. The individual must pass, bounce, or shoot the ball before touching the wheels again.

Players are only allowed two pushes with the ball in their lap without dribbling. There is no such thing as a double dribble in wheelchair basketball. The only dribble violation that occurs is when a player pushes their wheelchair more than two times with the ball in their lap. Another difference is the way fouls are called.

In wheelchair basketball, the wheelchair is considered to be a part of the player’s body when calling shooting, blocking, or charging fouls. This also means that if the wheelchair goes out of bounds at any time, the player is considered out of bounds. Also, the entire wheelchair must be behind the 3-point line for a 3-pointer to be scored. Otherwise, fouls and rules remain similar to basketball.

In some countries, such as Canada, Australia, and England, non-disabled athletes using wheelchairs are allowed to compete alongside other athletes on mixed teams.

Classification is an international regulation for playing wheelchair basketball to harmonize players’ different levels of disabilities. All teams which compete above a recreational level use the classification system to evaluate the functional abilities of players on a point scale of 1 to 4.5. Minimally disabled athletes are classified as a 4.5, and an individual with the highest degree of disability (such as a paraplegic with a complete injury below the chest) would be classified as a 1.0.

Competitions restrict the number of points allowable on the court at one time. The five players from each team on the court during play may not exceed a total of 14 points. In places where teams are integrated, non-disabled athletes compete as either a 4.5 in Canada or a 5.0 in Europe; however, non-disabled athletes are not allowed to compete internationally.

Basketball wheelchairs are designed for enhanced stability. The center of gravity is where the chair and the athlete’s mass are equally distributed in all directions. Points at which the wheelchair can tip over sideways are the fulcrum. A wheelchair with a higher seat is easier to tip. Basketball chairs have lower seats and wheels that are angled outward so that the center of gravity has to move a greater distance before it passes over the fulcrum and tips the chair.

Guards use wheelchairs different from those of centers and forwards. Forwards and centers are typically under the net, so their chairs have higher seats and therefore less mobility, but the height increases the player’s reach for shots at the hoop and for rebounds. Guards have lower seats and therefore greater stability for ball handling and getting down the court as quickly as possible.

If you are interested in basketball, but are physically unable to play, then wheelchair basketball might be for you. It can be a fun alternative to basketball, and allows many people who would normally be excluded from basketball the chance to play the game they love.