Wheelchair basketball
Wheelchair basketball is a disabled sport and a Paralympic discipline . In addition to people with physical disabilities , non-disabled people are also allowed to play. The rules are based on those of classic basketball and in some points have been adapted to the requirements of wheelchair use. One of the most important is the classification system, which creates a balance between players with different degrees of disability.
Game description
Each team consists of five field players and up to seven substitute players. The game is played 4 × 10 minutes. There is a two-minute break after the first and third quarter, and a 15-minute break after the second quarter. If there is a tie after the fourth quarter, an extension of five minutes is inserted. If necessary, this is repeated until the game is decided.
The aim of the game is to get the most points by hitting the basket with the cue ball. The hits are rated as follows:
- A hit on a free throw counts one (1) point.
- A hit within the three-point line is worth two (2) points.
- A hit outside the three-point line is worth three (3) points
Each team has 24 seconds to score a basket. If it is not possible to at least play the ball against the ring within this time, the right to play is transferred to the opposing party.
As in pedestrian basketball, wheelchair basketball requires players to dribble when in control of the ball. If the player pulls the hand ring more than twice without dribbling, this is considered a " pushing error " (equivalent to a step error ). In addition, the player is not allowed to touch the playing surface with his feet during the game. The ball must be in the other half of the field within 8 seconds and the 3-second rule (the player must not stay in the opposing zone for more than 3 seconds) applies as in conventional basketball. The exception is if the player is in a throwing motion in the zone or has his hands up. Even if you can't get out of the zone due to the opponent's obstruction, there are usually less than three seconds.
There is no difference in fouls either. After the 5th foul or the 2nd unsportsmanlike foul, a player has "fouled out", which means that he is no longer allowed to take part in the current game. Not all contact is forbidden, however, as with wheelchair rugby , it is not allowed to hold back and push.
The game is played on a normal basketball court with a normal basket height of 3.05 m.
Functional classification
The functional classification of the players creates a balance between people with different degrees of disability. A distinction is made between eight levels depending on the degree of disability. The assessment is based on the ability to perform various movements. The lowest number of points and thus the highest disability level is 1.0. Completely unhindered players are rated 4.5. The division takes place in steps of 0.5. In mixed teams, women also receive a general point deduction of 1.5 or 1.0 points. A woman can thus also achieve a negative number of points.
1-point players cannot move their legs and have little or no trunk control. Sitting balance is severely hampered both forwards and sideways and they use their arms to return to an upright position when they have lost their balance. These players lose their balance in contact situations and usually rebound over their heads with one hand.
As a rule, 2-point players do not have any leg functions, but sometimes have trunk control to the front. They don't have free sideways movement or torsion. You have limited sitting stability in contact situations, and your hands often grip the wheelchair or your thighs to stay upright in the event of a collision.
3-point players have certain leg functions and normal trunk functions when bending forward to the floor, when straightening up and some torsion. The players do not have good trunk stability to the side; however, they are more stable in contact situations and can easily rebound with both hands over their heads.
4-point players have normal trunk functions, but due to certain weaknesses in the leg functions, they are unable to perform equally controlled trunk movements to both sides, stable in wheelchair contact and in rebound, with normal forward and torsional movements.
4.5 point players are the least disabled on the field. They usually have only minor leg restrictions or a unilateral lower leg amputation. They are able to move their trunk in all directions and are very stable in all contact situations.
There are players who don't exactly fit into any of the categories in the classification system. In these cases the classifier can add or subtract half a point from a given class. This results in player ratings of 1.5, 2.5 and 3.5 points. However, the total team score of 14 may not be exceeded. The Austrian league as well as the 1st and 2nd Bundesliga and the regional league in Germany are an exception. 14.5 points may be set up there.
history
Wheelchair basketball was invented in 1946 by former basketball players in the USA who wanted to continue their sport after being injured in the war. It is now played in an estimated 80 countries by more than 25,000 disabled (and partly non-disabled) men and women.
The International Wheelchair Basketball Federation is the international umbrella organization. Since 1993 it has been an independent sports organization with over 50 member states. Wheelchair basketball has been a Paralympic sport since the Paralympics in Rome in 1960.
International competitions
Wheelchair basketball has been part of the Paralympic Summer Games since 1960. At the first two Paralympics, medals were awarded in two different categories. Since the games of 1968 there is only one category. The USA and Canada are among the strongest teams. Germany won a silver medal in 1992. European championships have been held since 1970 for men and 1974 for women . World championships have been held for men since 1973 and for women in 1990. German women are among the best in the world.
| # | country | gold | silver | bronze |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
 United States
|
8th | 1 | 4th |
| 2 |
 Canada
|
3 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 |
 Israel
|
2 | 2 | 3 |
| 4th |
 Australia
|
2 | 2 | 0 |
| 5 |
 Netherlands
|
1 | 5 | 0 |
| 6th |
 France
|
1 | 0 | 3 |
| 7th |
 United Kingdom
|
0 | 3 | 5 |
| 8th |
 Argentina
|
0 | 1 | 1 |
| 9 |
 Germany
|
0 | 1 | 0 |
 Spain
|
0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 11 |
 Sweden
|
0 | 0 | 1 |
Women have been playing for Paralympic medals since 1968. Germany won in 1980, 1984 and 2012. There are also four second places.
| year | host | Paralympics women | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st place | 2nd place | 3rd place | |||
| 1968 | Tel Aviv ( Israel ) |
Israel
|
Argentina
|
Australia
|
|
| 1972 | Heidelberg ( Germany ) |
Argentina
|
 Jamaica
|
Israel
|
|
| 1976 | Toronto ( Canada ) |
Israel
|
Germany
|
Argentina
|
|
| 1980 | Arnhem ( Netherlands ) |
Germany
|
Israel
|
United States
|
|
| 1984 | New York ( USA ) |
Germany
|
Israel
|
 Japan
|
|
| 1988 | Seoul ( South Korea ) |
United States
|
Germany
|
Netherlands
|
|
| 1992 | Barcelona ( Spain ) |
Canada
|
United States
|
Netherlands
|
|
| 1996 | Atlanta ( USA ) |
Canada
|
Netherlands
|
United States
|
|
| 2000 | Sydney ( Australia ) |
Canada
|
Australia
|
Japan
|
|
| 2004 | Athens ( Greece ) |
United States
|
Australia
|
Canada
|
|
| 2008 | Beijing ( China ) |
United States
|
Germany
|
Australia
|
|
| 2012 | London ( United Kingdom ) |
Germany
|
Australia
|
Netherlands
|
|
| 2016 | Rio de Janeiro ( Brazil ) |
United States
|
Germany
|
Netherlands
|
|
| # | country | gold | silver | bronze |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
United States
|
4th | 1 | 2 |
| 2 |
Germany
|
3 | 4th | 0 |
| 3 |
Canada
|
3 | 0 | 1 |
| 4th |
Israel
|
2 | 2 | 1 |
| 5 |
Argentina
|
1 | 1 | 1 |
| 6th |
Australia
|
0 | 3 | 2 |
| 6th |
Netherlands
|
0 | 1 | 4th |
| 7th |
Jamaica
|
0 | 1 | 0 |
| 8th |
Japan
|
0 | 0 | 2 |
The IWBF organizes the world championships in wheelchair basketball every four years. In 2014 the World Championships took place in Incheon (men) and Toronto (women), the reigning world champions are Australia (men) and Canada (women). The 2018 World Cup will take place in Hamburg from August 16 to 26 .
Since 1970 (men) and 1987 (women), the IWBF Europe has hosted European championships in wheelchair basketball. The European Championships in wheelchair basketball are held every two years and are also a qualifying tournament for the Paralympic Games that take place every four years and the World Wheelchair Basketball Championships. In 2007, the European Championship was held in Germany from August 23 to September 2, and the venue was the Rittal Arena in Wetzlar . Since 1994, the IWBF has held B (since 1994) and C European championships (since 2001) for men's national teams as qualifying tournaments for the next highest performance group. Since 1999 there has also been a European U22 junior championship. Since 2010 there has also been a team of U25 women. The most successful national teams at European level are the French men's national team with 7 European Championship titles and the German women's national team with 10 European Championship titles.
Reigning European champions (2015 in Worcester, England) are Great Britain (men) and Germany (women).
International club competitions
The International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF Europe) holds three main competitions for club teams: the Champions Cup (since 1976), the André Vergauwen Cup (since 1986) and the Willi Brinkmann Cup (since 1997 ). The allocation of starting places per nation for these competitions is determined from a three-year nation ranking of these cup competitions as well as the nation ranking of IWBF Europe. All three competitions will be held in the form of tournaments, each with three preliminary round groups and one final round tournament.
The most successful team is the RSV Lahn-Dill as World Cup winner, Vice World Cup winner, five-time Champions Cup winner, Vice Champions Cup winner, WBC European Cup winner (Willi-Brinkmann Cup), 12-time German champion and 12-time German cup winner (including ten times the double from champion and cup). Another top club team in Europe is the BC Verkerk Zwijndrecht around the former Dutch world-class player Gert-Jan van der Linden , which won the Champions Cup five times between 1991 and 1996.
Club teams from Germany and the German-speaking countries took part in all three competitions with great success: RSV Lahn-Dill had won the Champions Cup five times by 2012. The RSC Rollis Zwickau won the André Vergauwen Cup in 2004 and 2006. Other German teams were each able to enter their names once on the list of winners: in 1991 BSG Duisburg was the first German team to win this cup, in 1992 UBC Münster won , and in 1999 ASV Bonn won the André Vergauwen Cup. ASV Bonn (2009), RSV Lahn-Dill (2002) and SG Heidelberg-Kirchheim (2001) each brought the Willi-Brinkmann-Cup to Germany.
In 2005, the Pilatus Dragons were the first team from Switzerland to win the Willi Brinkmann Cup. RSV Salzburg achieved the best placement of an Austrian team with a fifth place in the Champions Cup. The best-known Turkish team Galatasaray Istanbul won the IWBF Champions Cup for the third time in 2011.
Web links
- Wheelchair basketball website of the German Wheelchair Sports Association
- International Paralympic Committee (English)
- Andreas Joneck, press spokesman, in an interview with the online magazine back view
Individual evidence
- ↑ IWBF website , accessed December 7, 2011.