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Wheelchair Basketball: A Great Paralympic Sport
Time for another lesson in sports that will be a part of the 2012 Paralympic Games in London just 86 days. This time it’s the fast-paced, exciting and skillful game of Wheelchair Basketball.
Wheelchair Basketball is one of the most-watched sports for the disabled and also has one of the highest participation rates worldwide (there are 82 national organisations for the sport worldwide)
HOW PLAYERS ARE CLASSIFIED
In order to be able to play in national and international competitions players are classified on a scale of 1.0-4.5 points with the lower numbers applying to the least functional athletes and the higher numbers to the least impaired athletes.
A team with a total classification point score of no more than 14 is allowed on court at any one time.
PLAYERS
Each team can have up to 12 players with a total of 5 playing on-court at any one time.
THE PLAYING ARENA
One of the amazing things about the sport of Wheelchair Basketball is that it is played on exactly the same-sized court as Basketball for the “able-bods”. The court consists of all the same dimensions from the 3 point line to the height of the hoop and the backboard.
DURATION OF THE GAME
The game consists of four 10 minute quarters with a 15 minute half-time break and 2 minutes between every other quarter.
THE RULES
Play in Wheelchair Basketball is almost identical to that in Basketball with play beginning from the centre of the court with the ball being tossed up by a match official.
The team in possession has 24 seconds to push forward and attempt to score before possession is turned over.
A free-throw is worth 1 point, there is 2 points for a shot outside the field shot zone and 3 points for a shot outside the 3 point area.
The “travelling” rule is invoked when a player touches his or her wheels more than twice after receiving or dribbling the ball. The player must pass, bounce or shoot the ball before touching the wheels again.
An offensive player cannot be in the free-throw lane more than 3 seconds in possession of the ball.
The wheelchair is considered part of the player so it may be used to block a player.
A technical foul has been deemed to have occurred if a player attempts to lift out of their chair and otherwise similar foul rules apply as with Basketball.
DEFENDING CHAMPIONS FROM THE 2008 PARALYMPICS
In the men’s draw the Australian team, known as the Rollers are the defending champions and in the women’s draw the USA are dual-defending Paralympic champions as well as world champions.
A LOOK AT THE GAME
Time to Learn About Sitting Volleyball
With the 2012 London Paralympics getting ever closer by the day and the weekend fast approaching us it’s time to have a look at another sport that will feature at the Paralympics.
This week we take a look at the sport of Sitting Volleyball.
This variation of Volleyball has been a part of the Summer Paralympics since the event in 1980 held in the Netherlands where it was first introduced into the competitive schedule for men. Women’s Sitting Volleyball took a little longer (two decades in fact) before it was introduced at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens.
WHO CAN PLAY?
Unlike many other sports for people with a disability, the sport does not classify athletes in a variety of different groupings according to physical disability. Instead, participants in the sport must meet minimal disability requirements as identified by one or more medical practitioners who are sanctioned to determine the level of disability that potential athletes have.
The disability must be permanent and it can include amputees, people with spinal cord injuries, Cerebral Palsy and les autres (‘the others’), that is, people that do not have a disability that fits into other identified categories of impairment.
When classified, participants are either deemed to have one of two levels of disability, either classified as disability (D) or minimal disability (MD). Only two people classified as having minimal disability are allowed in a team.
ON THE COURT
Sitting Volleyball is played between two teams where there are no more than 6 players on the court at any time and no more than 12 are in the entire team.
Each team is only permitted to have one of their two players classed as having minimal disability on the court at any one time.
The players must all sit on the modified Volleyball court where among other things the net is at a lower level (1.15m for men and 1.05m for women), the court is smaller.
The game is commenced like it’s counterpart with a serve.
Front-row players are allowed to block a serve.
Front-row players must have their pelvis in contact with the floor
Defensive players can assist in an attacking move but cannot cross or touch what is known as the attacking line with their pelvis.
Defensive players in attempting to stop a ball from bouncing in their side of the court are allowed to temporarily lift up off the court past the regular pelvis rule.
The ball can only be touched 3 times before it must go over the net into your opponent’s court.
The game at the Paralympic level has an added special player called a ‘libero player’. This team member is a special defensive player who can be “subbed on” during a stop in play to replace a person on the back court. They are identified because they must wear a different coloured uniform to the rest of the team.
HOW TO WIN
The game is best of 5 sets with the first 4 sets requiring 25 points to win and the final set a score of 15 to triumph.
DEFENDING CHAMPIONS
In the men’s competition the defending champion from the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing is Iran and in the women’s draw the winner and defending champion from Beijing was the home team, China.
A VIDEO OF THE GAME
Here is a YouTube link showing the fast-paced game that is Sitting Volleyball:
Wheelchair Rugby: ‘Murderball’ Explained
With just 96 days to go until the London 2012 Paralympics, it’s time to start taking a look at how some of the sports that are unique to a Paralympic Games are played. The first in this series is Wheelchair Rugby (Quad Rugby in the USA) also colloquially referred to in the biz as ‘Murderball’ because of the rough and vigorous nature of the game where injuries like broken digits are not uncommon.
The sport was also made famous with a documentary named Murderball made about the sport.
The current world number one team (as at 11 November, 2011) in the sport of Wheelchair Rugby is the United States of America, who are also the reigning Paralympic and world champions looking to defend their title and ranking in just a matter of months in London. They are closely followed by Australia in second place on the list and Japan in third, with Sweden and Canada rounding out the top 5 sides in the world.
ELIGIBILITY:
Players must have a functional impairment of both the arms and legs to form a part of a team in the sport. The most common cohort in the game are those with spinal cord injuries, but people with multiple amputations and neurological disabilities like Cerebral Palsy also qualify to play.
Players are given a classification based on functional ability between 0.5 and 3.5 with the former being the higher end of physical impairment and 3.5 being the highest level of physical ability.
THE TEAM:
There can be up to 12 players in a team with 4 players on the court at any one time. These 4 players must have a combined classification total of no more than 8 points at any time.
THE PLAYING FIELD:
Murderball is played indoors on a basketball court. Instead of the basketball key area an 8 metre wide and 1.75 metre deep forms a goal area with cones marking the dimensions. The end line is the goal line.
THE BALL:
The sport is played with a regulation size volleyball that must be 280 grams and white in colour.
THE RULES OF THE GAME:
Play starts in the back court of the player whose team is in possession of the ball. The player in possession of the ball must advance the ball into their opposition’s half within 12 seconds.
Players must pass or bounce the ball every 10 seconds in any manner necessary.
A team has a total of 40 seconds to score a point or must give up possession of the ball and the attacking team cannot be in the key area with the ball for more than 10 seconds without scoring.
The defensive team is not permitted to have any more than 3 players in the key defending their line at any one time.
In defending their line, the team can attack the player in any manner aside from attacking a player from behind or physically interfering with another person.
Defensive fouls are remedied with a 1 minute penalty and offensive fouls lead to a loss of possession.
The clock is stopped and possession reversed if the ball goes out of bounds.
When the player in possession of the ball has two wheels over the end line a goal has been scored.
100 Days to Go, But What’s the Paralympics All About?
Today marks just 100 days until the event the world will be watching, no not those games starting with ‘O’ and ending in ‘pic’, but the widely known about and often reported on Paralympic Games- well, this is true in an ideal world anyway. From the 29th of August until the 9th of September the London 2012 Paralympic Games will take place in the shadow of the Olympic Games which will have ceased just a short period of time prior to the commencement of the Paralympics.
Little is known or reported about the Paralympic Games, so what’s it all about?
THE COMPETITORS:
The Paralympic Games are open to competitors with a physical disability, including those who are visually impaired or deaf. The Paralympic Games have also included athletes with an intellectual impairment in both the 1996 and 2000 Paralympics, but these participants were excluded from both the 2004 and 2008 Paralympic Games after cheating on the part of the Spanish team particularly in the intellectually disabled basketball team. These athletes will return to the Paralympic Games in London for the first time since the Sydney 2000 Paralympics.
The London Paralympics will be the biggest to be held so far with approximately 4,200 athletes from 165 countries participating in the event and 16 of those nations will be competing for the first time in London.
THE SPORTS:
The 4,200 athletes participating will compete in a total of 21 different sports, with the majority of sports included in the Paralympics also featured as Olympic sports save for some modifications to cater for differing levels of impairment.
This year athletes will compete in:
- Archery
- Athletics
- Boccia
- Track and Road Cycling
- Equestrian
- Football
- Goalball
- Judo
- Powerlifting
- Rowing
- Sailing
- Shooting
- Swimming
- Table Tennis
- Sitting Volleyball
- Wheelchair Basketball
- Wheelchair Fencing
- Wheelchair Rugby
- Wheelchair Tennis
The sports that are unique to the Paralympics are:
- Boccia, which is similar to Bocce
- Goalball which is similar to European Handball for visually impaired participants
- Powerlifting which is Weightlifting but performed different for participants with a higher level of physical impairment
- Sitting Volleyball which is similar to regular Indoor Volleyball, but performed seated on the court
- Wheelchair Basketball which is similar to Basketball but undertaken in a wheelchair
- Wheelchair Fencing which is like regular Fencing but for people in a wheelchair
- Wheelchair Rugby which is also know as “Murderball” and involves similar play to the multiple forms of rugby but is performed indoors
- Wheelchair Tennis which is like Tennis but competitors play in a wheelchair
The Australian team is expected to do well, particularly, as has been the case historically, in swimming, athletics, wheelchair rugby and wheelchair basketball where medal prospects are traditionally very strong.
One of the best sports to watch is the swimming which sees people with a range of impairments competing in classifications with people who have similar abilities and compete in the same manner as those in the Olympics. It is amazing to see double arm amputees finish the race head first on the touch pads.
Wheelchair Rugby or “Murderball” is one of the most spectacular sports to observe that involves people in a wheelchair. This sport sees players with specially designed wheelchairs with heavy duty protection play in much the same way as rugby players but by “tackling” each other by careering into their opponents wheelchair when they are in possession of the ball. The objective, like in the rugby codes is to get the ball over a line.
Wheelchair Basketball is another brilliant sport and very similar in sheer physicality to Wheelchair Rugby and as mentioned previously is practically identical to everyday Basketball but with the added difficulty of shooting for baskets from a sitting position in a wheelchair.
BROADCASTING OF THE PARALYMPIC GAMES
The Paralympics will again be broadcast on television and radio by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation who have been a strong supporter of the Paralympics and broadcast over 120 hours of content from the previous Paralympics in Beijing in 2008. There will be some live coverage and some highlights packages as there has been previously.
Both the opening and closing ceremony will also be televised by the national broadcaster.
SO THERE’S THE BACKGROUND
So with just 100 days to go before the London 2012 Paralympic Games commence, you now have a bit of a background (presuming you didn’t prior to reading) of just what the Paralympics are about and why they are so amazing and hopefully a million more reasons to take an interest and watch or listen to some phenomenal sporting performances of the highest level.
Results for Swimmers With a Disability for Wednesday 21st of March
Tonight was the second last night of competition in the pool at the Australian Swimming Championships from Adelaide. This means that there are now even fewer opportunities to make the Paralympic and Olympic teams for the London 2012 Games.
WOMEN’S 100m BUTTERFLY
1Amanda Fowler S14 1:11.56
2 Prue Watt S13 1:08.39
3 Sarah Rose S6 1:34.70
4 Teigan Van Roosmalen S13 1:08.89
5 Ellie Cole S9 1:11.48
6 Katherine Downie S10 1:12.64
7 Madeleine Scott S9 1:13.23
8 Maddi Elliott S8 1:20.06
MEN’S 100m BUTTERFLY
1 Timothy Antalfy S13 54.92
2 Mitchell Kilduff S14 1:01.18
3 Matthew Cowdrey S9 1:00.76
4 Daniel Fox S14 1:02.09
5 Brendan Hall S9 1:01.58
6 Aaron Rhind S6 1:14.19
7 Sam Bramham S9 1:02.24
8 Andrew Pasterfield S10 1:00.05
Swimmers with a Disability Results for Tuesday 20th of March
WOMEN’S 50m BACKSTROKE
1 Taylor Corry S14 32.64
2 Esther Overton S1 1:13.06
3 Maddi Elliott S8 38.55
4 Katherine Downie S10 33.37
5 Katrina Porter S7 41.49
6 Teneale Houghton S15 33.34
7 Amanda Fowler S14 35.08
8 Kara Leo S14 35.50
MEN’S 50m BACKSTROKE
1 Timothy Antalfy S13 28.20
2 Sean Russo S13 29.13
3 Michael Anderson S10 28.60
4 Michael Auprince S9 29.83
5 Mitchell Kilduff S14 31.11
6 Daniel Fox S14 31.19
7 Joshua Chapman S15 29.12
8 Jeremy McClure S12 31.01
WOMEN’S 200M INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY
1 Kayla Clarke S14 2:33.00
2 Katherine Downie S10 2:34.21
3 Jacqueline Freney S7 2:57.19
4 Teigan Van Roosmalen 2:37.19
5 Prue Watt S13 2:37.64
6 Ellie Cole S9 2:38.12
7 Amanda Fowler S14 2:44.89
8 Teneale Houghton S15 2:37.33
MEN’S 200m INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY
1 Matthew Cowdrey S9 2:14.76
2 Matthew Levy S7 2:39.11
3 Rick Pendleton S10 2:16.00
4 Jeremy Tidy S10 2:18.07
5 Mitchell Kilduff S14 2:25.30
6 Brendan Hall S9 2:23.01
7 Matthew Haanappel S6 2:56.24
8 Jay Dohnt S7 2:49.71
Swimmers with a Disability Results for Sunday 18th of March
WOMEN’S 100m BREASTROKE
1 Prue Watt SB13 1:21.37
2 Tanya Huebner SB6 1:42.79
3 Amanda Fowler SB14 1:23.79
4 Kayla Clarke SB14 1:24.54
5 Teigan Van Roosmalen SB13 1:24.54
6 Katherine Downie SB9 1:26.36
7 Madeleine Scott SB9 1:27.24
8 Dianne Saunders SB7 1:47.17
MEN’S 100m BREASTSTROKE
1 Blake Cochrane SB7 1:19.06
2 Matthew Levy SB7 1:23.86
3 Matthew Cowdrey SB8 1:10.07
4 Ahmed Kelly SB3 1:56.05
5 Grant Patterson SB2 2:20.11
6 Richard Eliason SB14 1:10.07
7 Rick Pendleton SB9 1:10.89
8 Jay Dohnt SB6 1:30.68
The winning effort by Blake Cochrane was also a world record in his classification.
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