Wheelchair Basketball

Wheelchair Basketball was invented in 1946 by ex- American basketball players, who, after war injury, wanted to experience the elation of a highly agile sport once again within a team setting. Presently it is played in over 80 countries by around 25,000 men, women and children with a physical disability that restrains them from playing competitive basketball on their feet.

The governing body for the international Wheelchair Basketball Sport is International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF). It was in the year 1993 that it became an autonomous sports federation with 50 member nations. Wheelchair Basketball has been an integral discipline of the Paralympic program since the Rome Paralympics that took place in the year 1960. It is going to be one of the key attractions among the events in 2008 Beijing Summer Paralympics Sports.

There are five players and seven substitutes in each team of the Wheelchair Basketball Sport in Paralympics. The match features a total of four periods of ten minutes and after the first and the third period there is an intermission of one minute. There is a 15-minute interval which takes place between the second and third period. In case there is a tie in the match at the lapse of playing time for the fourth period, the match will be carried on with an additional period of five minutes or with as many such periods as required to break the tie.

There are certain sport-specific tests that are conducted before the match and are based on shooting, passing, rebounding, pushing and dribbling. Depending upon the functional capability to play the match, there are eight classifications in the Wheelchair Basketball and are (Classes 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0 and 4,5), with upper classification numbers indicating greater Basketball skills.

Court: The type of field intended for Wheelchair Basketball matches has no differences in comparison to that of Olympic Basketball. It is a rectangular solid surface 28 meters in length and 15 meters in width. Wooden floor is necessary for official national and as well as international matches.

2008 Beijing Summer Paralympics Sports
Archery	Athletics
Boccia	Cycling
Equestrian	Football 5-a-side
Football 7-a-side	Goalball
Judo	Powerlifting
Rowing	Sailing
Shooting	Sitting Volleyball
Swimming	Table Tennis
Wheelchair Basketball	Wheelchair Fencing
Wheelchair Rugby	Wheelchair Tennis

Ball: The ball for wheelchair basketball sport in Paralympics must be an approved one by the Olympic Sport authorities having single shade of orange with eight conventionally shaped panels and black seams. The external surface is made up of leather, synthetic leather, rubber or synthetic material.

Wheelchair: The wheelchair is said to be a part of the player itself. It consists of either three or four wheels - i.e. two large wheels at the back or two small wheels at the front of the chair. The tyres could be of any color provided they do not mark the floor. All competition chairs must meet the stipulations laid down by the IWBF.

2008 Beijing Summer Paralympics Sports are going to be a major lure for the travelers who are planning to make a tour of Beijing in the year 2008. Almost all the events have their own unique appeal.