Wheelchair basketball is played by people with different level of physical disabilities that prevents running, jumping and pivoting. Riding on a wheelchair, a game of basketball is played among two teams of five players each. World War II veterans originally developed the sport in 1945 as part of rehabilitation in the USA. Since then it has grown worldwide and was introduced at the Rome 1960 Paralympic Games. Today, the sport is practised in nearly 100 countries.
How is it played?
The sport is very similar to regular basketball. The court, the hoop and the backboard are all of the same dimension. Each team has 12 players and only five on court at any point in time. The objective is to score as many baskets within four periods of 10 minutes each. Players use small and lightweight wheelchairs and usually comes with one or two smaller wheels at the front, this is to provide balance and stability. They’re also strapped into the chair to allow them to be agile while in the chair.
Tournament Rules
Players cannot travel with the ball and are required to throw or bounce after every two touches on their wheelchair. Unlike regular basketball, double dribble is not considered a violation. It is allowed to dribble again after picking up one’s dribble.
The scoring system is similar to able-bodied basketball:
Free throws are worth one point.
Field goals are worth two points.
Field goals beyond the three-point line are worth three points.
Fouls occur when a player or their wheelchair comes into contact with their opponent, and the wheelchair is considered as an extension of the player’s body in relation to establishing responsibility for contact on the court.
Classification
Wheelchair basketball players are classified by a point system, from 1 to 4. 5 points. Sum of points is not allowed to exceed 14.0 point for five players on the court at any given time. Lesser points indicate a more significant activity limitation.
1 point
Little or no trunk control and thus cannot bend forward or sideways or rotate to catch and pass the ball
Rely on arms to return to upright position when unbalanced
Backrest of the wheelchair is a bit higher for a stable position and athletes are strapped to the wheelchair
2 points
Able to lean forward and rotate their body to some extent, allowing them to catch the ball within a larger radius
Wheelchairs have a higher backrest and strapping for trunk support
3 points
Have trunk control that allows them to fully rotate and lean forward, but does not allow them to lean to the sides
Wheelchair has a low backrest as they do not need sitting support
4 points
Able to move forward and rotate
Able to partially lean to the sides
Have difficulty with controlled movement to one side due to limitations in one lower limb
4. 5 points
Least eligible impairment
No restriction in trunk rotation or leaning forward or sideways
However, it is a misconception that wheelchair basketball players use the chair for everyday mobility. In fact, many wheelchair basketball athletes get out of their chair after the game and walk around. These people may not have disability noticeable to the eye but are deemed by a medical professional to have a permanent disability that disqualifies them from playing competitive basketball. For example, a person who has undergone reconstructive knee surgery will fall in this category.
Wheelchair Basketball in Singapore
The wheelchair basketball community practices twice weekly, Wednesday and Saturday, at the United World College (Dover Campus).
Did you recently become disabled and are looking for a way to get exercise? Do you love sports and the team comradery that comes with it?
If you answered yes to those questions, get ready to step into the world of adaptive sports.
In this article, we share wheelchair basketball facts regarding how this team sport is played, what’s required to join in, and the equipment needed on the court. Let’s roll!
What is Wheelchair Basketball?
Wheelchair basketball follows a similar format as running basketball, except the players utilize wheelchairs to move around the court.
It’s suitable for people with a wide range of disabilities, including cerebral palsy, congenital disabilities, Spina Bifida, polio, paralysis, and amputations.
This is a fast-paced game, with two teams that have five players and seven substitutes on each. Like running basketball, the goal is to shoot the basketball into the opposing team’s basket to score.
A wheelchair basketball match is 40 minutes total, broken up into four periods of ten minutes. Following a tied score at the end of the fourth period, another period of five minutes is added to break the tie.
The governing body responsible for outlining the rules of wheelchair basketball is the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF).
Wheelchair Basketball Equipment
Playing wheelchair basketball requires the ball, and most importantly- a specialized wheelchair.
A basketball wheelchair is manual, meaning the player must propel themselves by the push rims.
These wheelchairs feature high-tech designs that are customized to fit the unique needs of the player.
They are incredibly lightweight, often made with an aluminum or titanium frame, designed for optimal speed and maneuverability, allowing the player to turn quickly and anticipate sudden movements.
The players pass, dribble, and shoot the ball. The official basketball of FIBA, the Paralympic Games, and other world championships is manufactured by Molten.
A smaller Molten ball is used by women’s teams while the men play with a larger ball. There are two models: the GGmade of composite and the GL made of leather.
A Brief Overview of Wheelchair Basketball History
The dream of wheelchair basketball came to fruition back in 1945 the same year WWII ended. Patients undergoing rehabilitation at two USA World WarII veterans administration hospitals in California and Massachusetts began to play as a means to adjust to a new life in a wheelchair.
It didn’t take long for wheelchair basketball to catch on, and in 1949 six teams were formed to compete in the first national wheelchair basketball tournament in Illinois.
That same year, the National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) was born in the US. Afterward, wheelchair basketball quickly spread throughout the country to become the most popular sport for the disabled.
It wasn’t until the mid-1960s that wheelchair basketball for women began to emerge, and in 1968 a women’s team traveled to the Paralympics in Tel Aviv, Israel to compete alongside the US men’s team.
But even then, it would still be years until organized women’s teams were formed to compete against each other in the US. In 1978 an official women’s division with six teams was formed, competing in the national tournament.
The US wheelchair basketball team, the Pan Am Jets brought the sport over to Europe in 1955 when they attended the International Stoke Mandeville Games.
Wheelchair netball was played at the time, but after the Pan Am Jets dominated the games, European players quickly replaced wheelchair netball with wheelchair basketball.
Wheelchair Basketball Paralympics
Paralympic basketball was one of the inaugural sports at the 1960 Paralympic Games in Rome, and today it is one of the highest honors for a team to win the Paralympics.
The US men’s team took home gold for both Class A and Class B events that year, as well as the year after.
But how did the rules of wheelchair basketball evolve to become what it is today? We look at how this beautiful game is played in the next section!
How to Play Wheelchair Basketball
When it comes to the rules of wheelchair basketball, it isn’t much different from running basketball.
The court, height of the basket, three-point line, and foul line are all the same measurements. In 1964, international rules were implemented that led to a few slight adjustments to rules around the world.
Today, the official rules by which national teams abide are those outlined by IWBF. We break down the rules in a few different sections below.
1. How to Score
When one team shoots the ball into the opposing team’s basket, a goal is earned. Once the ball is accosted by a player, that team has 24 seconds to try and sink a shot. If the team is unable to score within that time frame, the right of play is given to the opposing team.
There are a few different ways to score a goal:
Free throw goals count for one point.
Goals scored from the two-point area count for two-point.
A goal scored from the three-point area counts for three points.
2. How to Dribble
Dribbling is when a player propels the wheelchair while bouncing the ball at the same time, traveling towards the opposing team’s net.
However, there is no double-dribble in wheelchair basketball. If the ball is picked up and/or placed on the player’s lap, they can only push the chair twice before they must shoot, pass, or dribble. If more than two pushes are made without dribbling the ball, a traveling violation can be handed out.
As well, the player must not touch the court surface with their feet while holding the ball.
3. How Fouls Work
In wheelchair basketball, the chair is regarded as part of the player’s body if contact is made while charging, going out of bounds, blocking, etc.
Technical fouls can be administered for a variety of reasons, including:
An offensive player stays in the key area for longer than three seconds.
A player lifts their legs or lifts out of their chair to take advantage of the play.
If a player falls out of their wheelchair, the referee stops the game and makes a call regarding whether the player is at risk of an injury.
For an inbounds play, the offensive player must wait for the ball to be handed to the inbounding player by the referee until moving into the key.
Wheelchair Basketball Classification System
To finish off our article about wheelchair basketball, it’s important to mention the classification system that’s required to play at an international level.
The player must first complete a Player Evaluation Process to confirm they meet the following criteria:
Eligible Impairment as defined by the IPC Classification Code: They are impaired with muscle power, passive range of movement, limb deficiency, leg length difference, hypertonia, ataxia, or athetosis.
Underlying Condition: This is a health condition that may lead to an Eligible Impairment or helps establish that the athlete has an Eligible Impairment.
What is Sports Class Allocation?
A player’s Sports Class is determined by the players’ physical ability to play wheelchair basketball and complete skills such as dribbling, passing, catching, shooting, rebounding, pivoting, and pushing.
It’s important to note that the assessment doesn’t focus on a player’s skill level, but rather their physical capacity to complete a task.
During observation, players are classified with points in classes one, two, three, and four. The lower the number, the more severe the disability, whereas the higher number is given to a player with a mild disability.
These classes are distinguished depending on the player’s Volume of Action. This refers to the player’s trunk stability and how the trunk allows them to reach without needing to hold the wheelchair before they overbalance.
Particular skill characteristics are also noted, as each class has its own set of characteristics that qualify a player.
Once each player has been given classification, the total team balance that can be on the court at any time is 14.0. That means the total classification point of all five players must not exceed 14. 0 points, or else they may receive a technical foul.
Wheelchair Basketball Facts Conclusion
Wheelchair basketball is one of the leading sports for people with disabilities, allowing people of all ages to enjoy fast-paced competition and exercise in a team setting.
To conclude this article about wheelchair basketball facts, the best starting point for joining a team would be to look up your local wheelchair basketball chapter and contact them for more information on the rules, regulations, and equipment.
References and Resources:
IWBF Rulebook
2021 IWBF Classification Rules
2021 IWBF Classification Manual
National Wheelchair Basketball Association
Kind of sport - wheelchair basketball, charitable foundation
Contacts:
FSK FSK "Baski" - TsOP im. V.P. Kondrashina Trainings are held at: St. Petersburg, VO, 26 line, 9. (Vocational rehabilitation center) President of the FGC "Baski" TsOP them. V.P. Kondrashin: Vladimir Vladimirovich Smirnov e-mail: [email protected] tel. 8 (905) 230-66-30 website: www.fsk-baski.ru
Children's section - More.
BKIS "Nevsky Alliance" Trainings are held at: St. Petersburg, Rustaveli, 51, lit. A (FOK SPb GAU "Directorate for the management of sports facilities")
Team leader: Fionin Leonid Yurievich Address: 197342, St. Petersburg, Krasnogvardeisky lane, 8 Team coaches: Vytautas Skucas, Nikita Zhukov tel. 8 (812) 295-40-01 e-mail: [email protected]
Wheelchair basketball can be played by persons with damage to the musculoskeletal system (sports of people from the floor).
Our athletes: FSK "Baski" them. V. P. Kondrashina BKIS "Nevsky Alliance"
Wheelchair basketball appeared in 1946 in the USA. Former basketball players (and not only basketball players), who were seriously injured and injured on the battlefields of World War II, did not want to part with their favorite game and came up with "their" basketball.
Now it is played in more than 80 countries. The number of only officially registered players is about 25 thousand people. The International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) holds various sports events: the World Championship - once every 4 years; annual tournaments of club teams, zonal competitions (once or twice a year), etc. Wheelchair basketball has been part of the program of the Paralympic Games since the first such competitions among the disabled in Rome in 1960.
History
In Russia, wheelchair basketball has been developing since 1990, in St. Petersburg since 1991. They played on indoor wheelchairs in the hall without the necessary markings and practically without rules, which was more like a children's outdoor ball game. Remarkable changes took place after the visit to Moscow in October 1990 of wheelchair basketball players from Bonn. It is noteworthy that the German team was in the capital on a tourist voyage; not wanting to lose her sports form, she convinced our sports officials to help them organize training and asked for a friendly match with Muscovites.
By this time, the Muscovite wheelchair basketball team had been training for only a few months. Two games were played. The result was not in favor of the Russians, but the significance of the meetings cannot be underestimated. In Russia, they finally learned for real what modern wheelchair basketball is.
Competition Description
Wheelchair basketball has the same rules as regular basketball. A platform of the same size is used, the basket is at the same height. The ball may be passed, thrown, rolled or dribbled in any direction provided that the rules set out are observed. The player must pass the ball or hit it on the floor after every two pushes of the wheels. The objective of each team is to shoot the ball into the opposing team's basket.
Player classifications are determined by the IWBF Player Classification Commission and must meet the following values (points): 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0 and 4.5. The lower value (points) refers to the players with the highest degree of disability, and the upper value (points) refers to the players with the least degree of disability. The remaining scores define varying degrees of disability and are set by the Commission.
During the game, the team cannot have players on the court at the same time, the total value of which exceeds the 14-point limit. If at any time in a game a team exceeds the 14-point limit, a technical foul will be called against the coach and the squad will be corrected immediately. The player cards are held by the table judges to check the classification of the players and the total score.
Dribbling occurs when a player who has gained control of a live ball on the court moves his wheelchair and dribbles at the same time, or alternately moves his wheelchair and dribbles. The ball must be placed on the circle while the wheelchair is moving, and one or two pushes of the wheelchair must be followed by one or more hits of the ball on the floor. It is also possible to use both of the above actions alternately. You cannot commit a violation of double wielding. If a player pushes his wheelchair more than twice while holding the ball on his circle without returning it to the floor, passing it, throwing it or starting to roll it, it is a violation of movement with the ball.
Wheelchair Basketball: Reinventing Inclusion for Children
Children can (and should!) talk and talk a lot about inclusion, but sometimes just talking is not enough. Our blogger Anna Andriyevskaya talks about unusual lessons during which absolutely all students play basketball in wheelchairs.
Unusual workshops are held in several schools in Munich: during sports activities, schoolchildren play basketball in wheelchairs. The presence of a disability or other restrictions does not matter. Inclusion has been on the current agenda in Europe for a long time, but many government institutions still have no idea how to put it into practice and how to live, learn and work together has become a natural process.
With the support of the Berlin organization High Art Bureau, the RBB München Iguanas sports association has come up with an interesting way to "make equal" children with special needs and ordinary schoolchildren - a workshop on basketball in wheelchairs. This is a team game where players are literally on the same level and learn to interact in unusual conditions.
Athletes on wheels
RBB München Iguanas was founded in 2013 as an integration project. People with no limitations, who previously could not even imagine being in a wheelchair, play basketball on wheels with wheelchair athletes. Now this principle has come to schools - after all, the sooner children learn equal rules of communication in society, the more effective their communication will be in adulthood.
How are the workshops? All that is required from the school is a gym with basketball hoops and readiness on the part of the management and physical education teachers. Students aged 10-17 can participate. The organizers bring 12 wheelchairs with them, and the number of people who want to participate is usually much larger.
“In general, each participant spends 2.5 hours in a chair, and taking into account the change of participants, classes can sometimes last up to three hours,” says Ronald Hassler, one of the authors of the project. - Master classes are held after the main lessons, everyone can take part in them, regardless of their features and abilities. At the beginning of the workshop, we analyze the features of a wheelchair, explain that it is not only an auxiliary means of movement, but really a sports equipment. ”
Wheelchair basketball is taught by international coaches from the RBB München club. Birgit and Roland know what it's like to live and play in wheelchairs. First, a few exercises to get used to the new vehicle. For example, driving forward, backward, turning, braking, crossing an obstacle. Then a couple of tasks to strengthen the team spirit, working out interaction with the ball and the wheelchair.
Team spirit and new opportunities
And finally the most interesting! The game has begun! If you watch from the side, you can see that the spirit of the game is so captivating that the participants forget about the restrictions. The main thing is the feeling of the ball and the joy from the balls successfully thrown into the ring.
After a two-hour workshop in a wheelchair, each participant notes that they enjoyed the match despite their unusual vehicle. At the same time, children have an awareness of what a person feels who cannot, like them, get up and run.
“At the end of each workshop, the students are so enthusiastic that they are ready to come again,” notes Roland Hassler. - We see that for them there is no problem of communicating with players who really move in wheelchairs. Younger students especially like this game, they enjoy it. Older students are more ambitious, they really want to win, and we are trying to convey to them that this is not just relaxing activities for people with disabilities, but really a sport with real achievements.
Interestingly, wheeled basketball players do some things much better than regular basketball players, such as blocking. By the way, basketball on wheels can really be played not only by people with disabilities, but also by everyone. Basketball players in wheelchairs play in different leagues.
Sport as therapy
Nico Hausammann, captain of the Swiss wheelchair basketball team, is convinced: “Wheelchair basketball is a complete replacement for self-help groups, especially when you have recently been injured.
5 points. Sum of points is not allowed to exceed 14.0 point for five players on the court at any given time. Lesser points indicate a more significant activity limitation. 
5 points
30pm - 9.30pm
If the ball is picked up and/or placed on the player’s lap, they can only push the chair twice before they must shoot, pass, or dribble. If more than two pushes are made without dribbling the ball, a traveling violation can be handed out.
0 points, or else they may receive a technical foul.
(Vocational rehabilitation center) 
Former basketball players (and not only basketball players), who were seriously injured and injured on the battlefields of World War II, did not want to part with their favorite game and came up with "their" basketball. 
Remarkable changes took place after the visit to Moscow in October 1990 of wheelchair basketball players from Bonn. It is noteworthy that the German team was in the capital on a tourist voyage; not wanting to lose her sports form, she convinced our sports officials to help them organize training and asked for a friendly match with Muscovites. 
The player must pass the ball or hit it on the floor after every two pushes of the wheels. The objective of each team is to shoot the ball into the opposing team's basket. 
Now this principle has come to schools - after all, the sooner children learn equal rules of communication in society, the more effective their communication will be in adulthood. 
” 
