Wheelchair Basketball

The first game of wheelchair basketball is said to have taken place back in 1946. It's now played around the world with thousands of participants. A day on the basketball court for a wheelchair athlete should be the same as a day on the court for any b-ball player. Wheelchair basketball adheres to many of the same rules and regulations as the International Basketball Association (FIBA).

There are, however, certain modifications to the game that have to be made. As in all wheelchair sports, there are players with varying degrees of disability. Teams that play at a level higher than recreational must consult with a classification system that evaluates each individual player. Players are ranked on a scale from 1 to 4.5. An able-bodied player would rank 4.5, and an individual paralysed from the chest down would be a 1. This classification system is recognized worldwide.

The layout of the basketball court is no different from a regular professional court. The height of the basket, the size of the ball and the dimensions of the court are the same as FIBA standards.

Wheelchair basketball does, however, make a few changes to the regulations. Modifications are made to rules such as traveling. In regular basketball, traveling is when excessive steps are taken without the ball touching the floor. Wheelchair basketball considers traveling to be when an athlete touches his or her wheels more than twice after receiving or dribbling the ball.

With the increasing popularity of wheelchair sports, conventional wheelchairs are no longer good enough. Sport wheelchairs are designed to help the athlete manoeuvre around the court. The less an athlete has to worry about their chair, the more they can concentrate on the game.

Wheelchair basketball can be for everyone, from beginners on neighbourhood courts, to professionals at an international level. It is a competitive sport in the Paralympic games and there is also a popular Gold Cup competition held every 2 years.