Paralympic Wheelchair Basketball - Paralympic Wheelchair Basketball

Paralympic Wheelchair Basketball

Wheelchair Basketball
Wheelchair Basketball was originally developed by World War II veterans in the USA in 1945/1946. At the same time, Sir Ludwig Guttmann developed a similar sport named Wheelchair Netball at the Spinal Rehabilitation Hospital at Stoke Mandeville, Great Britain, to aid the rehabilitation of war veterans. When the US Wheelchair Basketball team, the Pan Am Jets, competed for the first time at the International Stoke Mandeville Games in 1955, there were no backboards owing to the British sport being Netball. This was amended for the following year's Games. Since then, the sport has developed worldwide and was introduced to the Paralympic Programme in Rome in 1960. It is one of the most popular sports in the Paralympic Games. It is designed for athletes who have a physical disability that prevents running, jumping and pivoting. Wheelchair Basketball is open to male or female athletes and is played by two teams of five players each. Depending on their functional abilities a point value from 0.5 (most severely disabled) to 4.5 is given to each player. Five players out of 12 from each team are on the court during playtime and throughout the game the total point value of each team must not exceed 14 points. The aim of each team is to score into the opponents' basket and to prevent the other team from gaining control of the ball or scoring. The measurements of the court and the height of the baskets are the same as in able-bodied Basketball. The International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) is the world governing body for Wheelchair Basketball, and in 2008, the sport is practiced by athletes in around 80 countries.