Wheelchair Basketball |
Introduction Wheelchair basketball is a team sport which entails high levels of wheelchair-control techniques, physical fitness, cooperation among members and team spirit. Classification Most wheelchair basketball athletes are lower limbs amputees or with spinal cord injury. Athletes are classified under a point system (1-4.5 points) according to their functional abilities – 1-point athletes with comparatively severe impairmentwhile 4.5-point athletes are at the lowest level of impairment. The five athletes from each team playing on the court cannot exceed a total of 14 points. Competition Rules for wheelchair basketball mainly follow those set by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) except for certain rules modified to facilitate wheelchair athletes. Each game is divided into four quarters, ten minutes per quarter. There is a two minutes break between the first and second quarter, and the third and fourth quarter; the halftime break period is fifteen minutes. If the score is tied at the end of the fourth quarter, the game shall continue with as many extra periods of 5 minutes until the winner is determined. Athletes must dribble, pass or shoot the ball after two wheelchair pushes. It is a violation when the athlete touches the floor with his feet or raises his buttocks that both cheeks are no longer in contact with the seating platform of the wheelchair or the cushion where a cushion is used on the wheelchair. For more details, please visit the website of International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) website: http://www.iwbf.org/. |