Wheelchair basketball
Encyclopedia
Wheelchair basketball is basketball
played by people in wheelchair
s and is considered one of the major disabled sports
practiced. 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 world wide. FIBA has recognized IWBF under Article 53 of its General Statutes.
IWBF has 82 National Organizations for Wheelchair Basketball (NOWBs) actively 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 played by boys and girls, men and women.
Wheelchair basketball sees tremendous competition and interest on the international level. Wheelchair basketball is included in the Paralympic Games
that are held every four years for athletes with physical disabilities immediately following the Olympics in the same city that hosts the Summer Olympics just two weeks after the closing of the Summer Games.
A Gold Cup (the Wheelchair Basketball World Championship
), is organized two years after every Paralympic Games. Major competition in wheelchair basketball comes from Canada
, Australia
, USA, Great Britain
, the Netherlands
, and Japan
.
, through the rehabilitation program at the Stoke Mandeville Hospital
, in Aylesbury
, Buckinghamshire
, England
, adapted existing sports to use wheelchair
s. It was known as Wheelchair Netball.
At around the same times, starting from 1946, wheelchair basketball games were played primarily between American
World War II
disabled veterans. Since then, the sport has spread throughout the world.
The Stoke Mandeville Wheelchair Games, held in 1947, were the first games to be held and included only a handful of participants (26), and few events (shot put, javelin, club throw, and archery).
Growth in both the number of wheelchair events and participants came quickly. Wheelchair netball
was introduced in the 1948 Games. In 1952, a team from the Netherlands was invited to compete with the British team. This became the first International Stoke-Mandeville Games (ISMG), an event that has been held annually ever since.
Wheelchair basketball, as we know it now, was first played at the 1956 International Stoke-Mandeville Games. The US "Pan Am Jets" team won the tournament.
In 1973, the International Stoke Mandeville Games Federation (ISMGF) established the first sub-section for wheelchair basketball. At that time ISMGF was the world governing body for all wheelchair sports.
In 1989 ISMGF accepted for its former wheelchair basketball sub-section to be named International Wheelchair Basketball Federation
also known by the acronym IWBF.
Full independence came in 1993 with the IWBF
becoming the world body for wheelchair basketball with full responsibility for development of the sport. Over the following years IWBF membership grew in size and based on the number of National Organizations for Wheelchair Basketball (NOWB’s) with active programs, the international federation configured itself into four geographical zones: Africa, Americas, Asia/Oceania and Europe.
, Belgium
being the first host city. The first ever world championship for men was won by Great Britain
. In the 11 first men's world championships, 6 times have been won by the United States
(1979, 1983, 1986, 1994, 1998, 2002), Great Britain once (the first ever championship in 1973), Israel (1975), France (1990), Canada (2006) and Australia (2010). Canada has won four of the women's world championship titles (1994, 1998, 2002, 2006), and the United States two (1990, 2010).
Results
Tournament Leaders
In some countries such as Canada, Australia and England, nondisabled athletes using wheelchairs are allowed to compete alongside other athletes on mixed teams.
in the game, and to harmonize the different levels of disabilities players have.
All teams which compete above a recreational level use a 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 full paraplegia below the chest) would have the classification of 1.0. In places where teams are integrated, non disabled athletes compete as either a 4.5 (in Canada) or a 5.0 (in Europe).
Classification is an international regulation for playing wheelchair basketball, where competitions restrict the number of points allowable on the court at one time. However, at this time, athletes are only allowed to compete internationally if they have a qualifying disability.
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
played by people in wheelchair
Wheelchair
A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, designed to be a replacement for walking. The device comes in variations where it is propelled by motors or by the seated occupant turning the rear wheels by hand. Often there are handles behind the seat for someone else to do the pushing...
s and is considered one of the major disabled sports
Disabled sports
Disabled sports are sports played by persons with a disability, including physical and intellectual disabilities. As many of these based on existing sports modified to meet the needs of persons with a disability, they are sometimes referred to as adapted sports...
practiced. The International Wheelchair Basketball Federation
International Wheelchair Basketball Federation
The International Wheelchair Basketball Federation is the international governing body for the sport of wheelchair basketball. IWBF is recognized by the International Paralympic Committee as the sole competent authority in wheelchair basketball world wide...
(IWBF) is the governing body for this sport. It is recognized by the International Paralympic Committee
International Paralympic Committee
The International Paralympic Committee is an international non-profit organisation and the global governing body for the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Paralympic Games and functions as the international federation for nine sports...
(IPC) as the sole competent authority in wheelchair basketball world wide. FIBA has recognized IWBF under Article 53 of its General Statutes.
IWBF has 82 National Organizations for Wheelchair Basketball (NOWBs) actively 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 played by boys and girls, men and women.
Wheelchair basketball sees tremendous competition and interest on the international level. Wheelchair basketball is included in the Paralympic Games
Paralympic Games
The Paralympic Games are a major international multi-sport event where athletes with a physical disability compete; this includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and Cerebral Palsy. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which are held immediately following their...
that are held every four years for athletes with physical disabilities immediately following the Olympics in the same city that hosts the Summer Olympics just two weeks after the closing of the Summer Games.
A Gold Cup (the Wheelchair Basketball World Championship
Wheelchair Basketball World Championship
The IWBF World Wheelchair Basketball Championship is an international wheelchair basketball competition contested by the men's and the women's national teams of the members of the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation , the sport's global governing body.The first unofficial Wheelchair...
), is organized two years after every Paralympic Games. Major competition in wheelchair basketball comes from Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, USA, Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
1940s to 1960s
The 1940s saw the beginning of wheelchair basketball. In 1944, Ludwig GuttmannLudwig Guttmann
Sir Ludwig "Poppa" Guttmann CBE, FRS was a German neurologist who founded the Paralympic Games while living in England, and is considered one of the founding fathers of organized physical activities for people with a disability....
, through the rehabilitation program at the Stoke Mandeville Hospital
Stoke Mandeville Hospital
Stoke Mandeville Hospital is a large National Health Service hospital within Aylesbury Urban Area to the south of the town of Aylesbury, near the village of Stoke Mandeville in Buckinghamshire...
, in Aylesbury
Aylesbury
Aylesbury is the county town of Buckinghamshire in South East England. However the town also falls into a geographical region known as the South Midlands an area that ecompasses the north of the South East, and the southern extremities of the East Midlands...
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, adapted existing sports to use wheelchair
Wheelchair
A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, designed to be a replacement for walking. The device comes in variations where it is propelled by motors or by the seated occupant turning the rear wheels by hand. Often there are handles behind the seat for someone else to do the pushing...
s. It was known as Wheelchair Netball.
At around the same times, starting from 1946, wheelchair basketball games were played primarily between American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
disabled veterans. Since then, the sport has spread throughout the world.
The Stoke Mandeville Wheelchair Games, held in 1947, were the first games to be held and included only a handful of participants (26), and few events (shot put, javelin, club throw, and archery).
Growth in both the number of wheelchair events and participants came quickly. Wheelchair netball
Netball
Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
was introduced in the 1948 Games. In 1952, a team from the Netherlands was invited to compete with the British team. This became the first International Stoke-Mandeville Games (ISMG), an event that has been held annually ever since.
Wheelchair basketball, as we know it now, was first played at the 1956 International Stoke-Mandeville Games. The US "Pan Am Jets" team won the tournament.
1970s to the present
In 1989 ISMGF accepted for its former wheelchair basketball sub-section to be named International Wheelchair Basketball Federation
International Wheelchair Basketball Federation
The International Wheelchair Basketball Federation is the international governing body for the sport of wheelchair basketball. IWBF is recognized by the International Paralympic Committee as the sole competent authority in wheelchair basketball world wide...
also known by the acronym IWBF.
Full independence came in 1993 with the IWBF
International Wheelchair Basketball Federation
The International Wheelchair Basketball Federation is the international governing body for the sport of wheelchair basketball. IWBF is recognized by the International Paralympic Committee as the sole competent authority in wheelchair basketball world wide...
becoming the world body for wheelchair basketball with full responsibility for development of the sport. Over the following years IWBF membership grew in size and based on the number of National Organizations for Wheelchair Basketball (NOWB’s) with active programs, the international federation configured itself into four geographical zones: Africa, Americas, Asia/Oceania and Europe.
Wheelchair Basketball World Championship
World championships for the sport have been held since 1973, with BrugesBruges
Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
being the first host city. The first ever world championship for men was won by Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. In the 11 first men's world championships, 6 times have been won by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(1979, 1983, 1986, 1994, 1998, 2002), Great Britain once (the first ever championship in 1973), Israel (1975), France (1990), Canada (2006) and Australia (2010). Canada has won four of the women's world championship titles (1994, 1998, 2002, 2006), and the United States two (1990, 2010).
U25 Women's World Championships 2011
The inaugural championships were held at Brock University, Canada in July 2011.Results
- U.S.A
- Australia
- Great Britain
- Canada
- Japan
- Germany
- Mexico
- South Africa
Tournament Leaders
- Top Scorer - Mari Amimoto (Japan)
- Top Rebounder - Cindy Ouellet (Canada)
- Top Assists - Helen Freeman (Great Britain)
Rules
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 his wheels more than twice after receiving or dribbling the ball. The individual must pass, bounce or shoot the ball before touching the wheels again.In some countries such as Canada, Australia and England, nondisabled athletes using wheelchairs are allowed to compete alongside other athletes on mixed teams.
Classifications
Wheelchair basketball, based on the sport of basketball, introduces some adaptations to reflect the use of the wheelchairWheelchair
A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, designed to be a replacement for walking. The device comes in variations where it is propelled by motors or by the seated occupant turning the rear wheels by hand. Often there are handles behind the seat for someone else to do the pushing...
in the game, and to harmonize the different levels of disabilities players have.
All teams which compete above a recreational level use a 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 full paraplegia below the chest) would have the classification of 1.0. In places where teams are integrated, non disabled athletes compete as either a 4.5 (in Canada) or a 5.0 (in Europe).
Classification is an international regulation for playing wheelchair basketball, where competitions restrict the number of points allowable on the court at one time. However, at this time, athletes are only allowed to compete internationally if they have a qualifying disability.
See also
- Wheelchair basketball at the Summer ParalympicsWheelchair basketball at the Summer ParalympicsWheelchair basketball has been contested at the Summer Paralympics since the 1960 Summer Paralympics in Rome.Winning the Paralympics is considered to be the highest honor in international wheelchair basketball, followed by the World Championships of the International Wheelchair Basketball...
- Wheelchair Basketball World ChampionshipWheelchair Basketball World ChampionshipThe IWBF World Wheelchair Basketball Championship is an international wheelchair basketball competition contested by the men's and the women's national teams of the members of the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation , the sport's global governing body.The first unofficial Wheelchair...
- European Wheelchair Basketball Championship
- Disabled sport
- WheelPowerWheelPowerWheelPower is the national organisation for wheelchair sport in the United Kingdom, and aims to help people with disabilities improve their quality of life....
- Real (manga)Real (manga)is a manga series, by Takehiko Inoue, which deals with wheelchair basketball. It has been serialised in Shueisha's Young Jump and to date, 10 volumes have been published in Japan...
- Wheelchair RugbyWheelchair rugbyWheelchair rugby, , is a team sport for athletes with a disability. It is currently practiced in over twenty countries around the world and is a Paralympic sport....