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Wheelchair basketball is a fast-paced game played by two teams of five players where the object is to shoot the ball into the opposing team’s basket.
Men’s wheelchair basketball has featured at every Paralympic Games since 1960. Women’s competition was introduced in 1968.
Men’s 12-team and women’s 10-team tournaments are contested at the Paralympic Games. Every team is comprised of five players and seven substitutes. The match consists of four periods of ten minutes. If the score is tied at the end of playing time for the fourth period, the match will be continued with an extra period of five minutes or with as many such periods of five minutes as are necessary to break the tie. The basic rules of wheelchair basketball are very similar to running basketball (for example the height of the basket, distance to foul line, three-point line, etc., are the same measurements as in the game of running basketball). Wheelchair basketball is played in accordance with the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) rules which have been modified from Federation Internationale de Basketball (FIBA). Scoring A goal is credited to the team attacking the basket into which the ball has entered as follows: Every team has 24 seconds to complete its attempt to score a basket. If the team with the ball exceeds this time limit, then the ball and the right of play is granted to the opposing team. Dribbling A player may wheel the chair and bounce the ball simultaneously, however, if the ball is picked up and/or placed on the player’s lap, he/she is only allowed to push twice before they are obligated to shoot, pass, or dribble the ball again. There is no double dribble rule in wheelchair basketball. A traveling violation occurs if the player takes more than two pushes while in possession of the ball without dribbling. A player is not allowed to touch the playing surfaced with his or her feet while in possession of the ball. Fouls The wheelchair is considered part of the player’s body in relation to establishing responsibility for contact on the court in the case of charging, blocking, going out of bounds, and other violations. An offensive player may not remain in the key area for more than three seconds. In addition to the technical fouls that may be assessed from time to time as in stand up basketball, a player lifting his/her legs to gain an advantage or lifting out of his/her chair is given a technical foul. The player must remain firmly seated in his/her chair and must not use his/her lower limbs to steer the chair or gain an unfair advantage. If a player falls out of his/her chair, a referee may stop the play if in his/her opinion the player is at risk of being injured, otherwise, play will continue. On an inbounds play, the offensive player is not allowed to go into the key until the ball is handed to the inbounding player by the referee.
Events
Rules and Equipment
Documents:
| Hypertonia | Impaired Muscle Power |
| Ataxia | Leg Length Difference |
| Athetosis | Impaired Passive Range of Movement |
| Limb Deficiency | |
To be eligible to play wheelchair basketball a player must have a permanent, verifiable health condition that results in an eligible impairment as defined by the IWBF. Players also must meet the Minimum Impairment Criteria (MIC) for their eligible impairment.
For illustrated explanation please click on the button below.
In wheelchair basketball players are classified on a point system from 1 to 4.5. Players are assigned points as their classification – 1, 2, 3 and 4 are the recognized classes, with 0.5 classes between for the exceptional cases which do not fit exactly into one class, and the 4.5 category for the player with least or minimal disability.
Wheelchair basketball classification is based on the players’ functional capacity to complete the skills necessary to play – pushing, pivoting, shooting, rebounding, dribbling, passing and catching. It is not an assessment of a player’s level of skill, merely this functional capacity to complete the task. In particular, the trunk movement and stability observed during these actual basketball situations form the basis for the assignment of a player to a particular class. While most athletes have normal arm and hand function, the main difference between classes is trunk control and sitting balance, which impact sport specific tasks.
A team is composed of five players and up to seven substitutes. At international level, the sum of classification points on court must be 14 or less. At national level, the sum of points is 16.
| Class 1.0 |
| · No active trunk movement in the vertical plane (rotation).
· Little or no controlled trunk movement in the forward plane. · No controlled trunk movement in the sideways plane. · When unbalanced, has to rely on his arms to return to the upright position. |
| Class 2.0 |
| · Active upper trunk rotation but no lower trunk rotation.
· Partially controlled trunk movement in the forward plane. · No controlled trunk movements in the sideways plane. |
| Class 3.0 |
| · Complete trunk movement in the vertical plane.
· Complete trunk movement in the forward plane. · No controlled trunk movements in the sideways plane. |
| Class 4.0 |
| · Complete trunk movement in the vertical plane.
· Complete trunk movement in the forward plane. · Complete trunk movement to one side, but usually due to limited function in one lower limb has difficulty with controlled trunk movement to the other side. |
| Class 4.5 |
| · Complete trunk movement in the vertical plane.
· Complete trunk movement in the forward plane. · Complete trunk movements to both sides. |
| There are situations where a player does not seem to fit exactly into one class, exhibiting characteristics of two or more classes. In this instance, the classifier may assign the player a half point classification: 1.5, 2.5, or 3.5. |
To be eligible to apply for a national classification, athletes must:
This list includes active athletes who have been classified at national and/or international level. Click here to access the Masterlist.
The Irish Wheelchair Association is the National Governing Body for wheelchair basketball in Ireland. If you wish to get involved in wheelchair basketball, please access the National Governing Body link below.
| Governing Body | |
| National | Irish Wheelchair Association |
| International | International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) |
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