CLICK ON A SPORT TO LEARN MORE
Sports
(Info taken from www.usparalympic.org)
ARCHERY: Athletes with physical disabilities can showcase their shooting precision and accuracy either standing or in wheelchairs, depending on disability, in men's and women's categories. The competition format is identical to that of the Olympic Games. Archers shoot 72 arrows from a distance of 70 meters at a target of 122 cm. A perfect score is 720. Open to male and female athletes with: amputation/limb loss, spinal cord injury/wheelchair-users and cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke. (Added comment: The distance is less for junior archers competing at the state and national level, please refer to WSUSA rulebook.)
BASKETBALL: Though originally played only by men with spinal cord injuries, now both men's and women's teams throughout the world, with a variety of disabilities, compete in the sport. Many of the same rules from its counterpart apply in the wheelchair game. While plays and tactics are similar, special rules, such as those to accommodate dribbling from a wheelchair, are also in place. The sport is governed by the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF). The IWBF governs all aspects of the game, including court size and basket height, which remain the same as able-bodied basketball. Athletes in this event are grouped by demonstrated playing ability, rather than strictly by medical classification. Open to male and female athletes with: amputation /limb loss, spinal cord injury/wheelchair-users, cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke and other orthopedic and locomotor disabilities.
BOCCIA has also long been a popular sport with individuals with cerebral palsy, testing an athlete's level of muscle control, concentration and accuracy. Athletes throw, kick or use an assistive device to propel leather balls as close as possible to a white target ball (the jack). Each player throws six balls. After each individual match, four ends are played, with the top two players from each pool advancing. Boccia is played indoors on a flat, smooth surface by either individuals or teams. Open to male and female athletes with cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke.
CURLING: Competition takes place between two competitors from each of two teams. Stones are "thrown" by hand, or by the use of a "stick" towards a target at the opposite end of the ice. The object of the game is similar to that of boccia in that the goal is to get a team's stones as close to the center of the target (the "house") as possible. Six ends are played with a possible extra end if the teams are tied after six. There is no sweeping, however, and only competitors in wheelchairs are allowed to compete. Rules for the 2002 World Championships required that each team include one female and one tetraplegic (quadriplegic) player on each team. Open to male and female athletes with: amputation/limb loss, spinal cord injury/wheelchair-users, cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke and Les autres.
CYCLING: Athletes compete on the track (velodrome) and on the roads. Track events generally consist of sprints as short as 200 meters to time trials and pursuits up to 4 km. Relay races consisting of three-person teams are also contested on the track. Competition on the roads consists of time trials and road races. In time trials, athletes start individually in staggered intervals, racing mostly against themselves and the clock. Road races consist of mass starts. Distances vary based on the host country's discretion. Distances range from 5 km to 65 km in length. Open to male and female athletes with: amputation/ limb loss, blindness/visual impairment, spinal cord injury/wheelchair-users and cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke.
GOALBALL: Men's and women's teams compete in teams of three in this event. Unlike other team ball events, goalball is a unique ball game played only by the blind. The ball makes noise when it's in motion so that the players can locate it audibly. For this reason, silence at events is vital. It is played on a court with tactile markings so that players can determine their location on the court and which direction that he/she is facing. All players wear eye masks to block out light and thus equalize visual impairment between the athletes. Players take turns throwing the ball, end to end, at each other's goal. Open to male and female athletes who are blind/visually impaired.
HORSEBACK RIDING: Riders compete in two dressage events; a championship test of set movements and a freestyle test to music. There is also a team test for three or four riders. Competitors are judged on their display of horsemanship skills demonstrated through their use of commands for walk, trot and canter. Open to male and female athletes with: amputation/limb loss, blindness/visual impairment, spinal cord injury/wheelchair-users and cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke.
JUDO: Athletes who are blind or have vision impairments compete under the rules of the International Judo Association at the Paralympic Games, with the exception of a mat that has different textures to mark zones and the competition area. Competitors must attack, defend, and maintain balance during a match in order to score points by using certain attack and counterattack techniques. Open to male and female athletes who are blind/visually impaired.
POWERLIFTING: Initially offered only to lifters with spinal cord injuries, the sport has grown to include numerous disability groups, as well as assimilate rules similar to those of non-disabled lifters. Athletes draw lots to determine order of weigh-in and lifts. After the athletes are categorized within the 10 different weight classes (male and female), they each lift three times (competing in their respective weight class). The heaviest "good lift" (within the weight class) is the lift used for final placing in the competition. Open to male and female athletes with: dwarfism, amputation/limbloss, spinal cord injury/wheelchair-users and cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke.
RUGBY: The game was first developed in Canada as a team sport for quadriplegic athletes, and was originally known as "murderball" because of its intense physical nature. After being introduced in the United States, the name was changed to "quad rugby," but it is also commonly known as wheelchair rugby. The objective of wheelchair rugby is for a player to carry a ball across the opponent's goal line in order to score a point. A volleyball is used and must be bounced or passed between teammates at least once every 10 seconds during play. The sport is played in four eight-minute stop-time quarters indoors on a basketball court. All players are classified based on their abilities from 0.5 to 3.5 points. Four players from each team are allowed on the court at a time and the classification value between them cannot exceed eight points. Open to male and female athletes with: amputation/limbloss, spinal cord injury/wheelchair-users and cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke.
SHOOTING is divided into rifle and pistol events, air and .22 caliber. The rules governing Paralympic competition are those used by the International Shooting Committee for the Disabled. These rules take into account the differences that exist between disabilities allowing ambulant and wheelchair athletes to compete shoulder to shoulder. Shooting matches athletes of the same gender, with similar disabilities, against each other, both individually and in teams. Open to male and female athletes with: amputation/limb loss, spinal cord injury/wheelchair-users and cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke.
SKIING (ALPINE): The alpine disciplines include the same events contested in Olympic competition: downhill, slalom, giant slalom and super-G. Open to male and female athletes with: amputation, blindness/visual impairment, spinal cord injury/wheelchair-users and cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke.
SKIING (CROSS COUNTRY): Cross country races range from 2.5 km to 20 km depending on disability and gender. Open to male and female athletes with: amputation/limb loss, blindness/visual impairment, spinal cord injury/wheelchair-users and cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke.
SLED HOCKEY (A.K.A. SLEDGE HOCKEY): Just as in ice hockey, sled hockey is played with six players (including a goalie) at a time. Players propel themselves on their sledge by use of spikes on the ends of two three-foot-long sticks, enabling a player to push himself as well as shoot and pass ambidextrously. Rinks and goals are regulation Olympic-size, and games consist of three 15-minute stop-time periods. Open to male athletes with: amputation/limb loss, spinal cord injury/wheelchair-users and cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke.
SOCCER is played on a 75 x 55m field with a 5 x 2m goal. The sport follows the standard FIFA rules for seven-a-side soccer with the following exceptions: there is no off-side rule, an under-arm throw-in is permitted if a player is physically unable to execute a throw-in according to FIFA rules, opposing players are required to be seven meters from the ball on restarts, and the game is played during two 30-minute halves. Open to male athletes with cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke.
SWIMMING competitions occur in 50-meter pools and, while competing, no prostheses or assistive devices may be worn. Open to male and female athletes with: dwarfism, amputation/limb loss, blindness/visual impairment, spinal cord injury/wheelchair-users, cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke and Les autres.
TABLE TENNIS: Rules governing Paralympic table tennis are the same as those used by the International Table Tennis Federation, though slightly modified for players using wheelchairs. The same quick technique and finesse is apparent in the games of athletes from various disability groups, including men's and women's competitions, as well as individual and team contests. All matches are played best-of-five games to 11 points. Open to male and female athletes with: amputation/limb loss, spinal cord injury/wheelchair-users and cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke.
TRACK AND FIELD: The rules of Paralympic track and field are almost identical to those of its non-disabled counterpart. Certain allowances are made to accommodate certain disabilities. For example, the blind and more severely visually impaired runners compete with guide runners, who are often attached by the wrist with a tether to the runner. Open to male and female athletes with: dwarfism, amputation/limb loss, blindness/visual impairment, spinal cord injury/wheelchair-users and cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke.
WHEELCHAIR TENNIS: is played on a standard tennis court and follows many of the same rules as tennis. However, in wheelchair tennis, a player is allowed to let the ball bounce twice, not once, before hitting a return shot. Also, the athlete's wheelchair is considered to be a part of the body, so rules applying to the player's body apply to the chair as well. Open to male and female athletes with: amputation/limb loss and spinal cord injury/wheelchair-users.
VOLLEYBALL: is divided into two major disciplines: sitting and standing. Paralympic volleyball follows the same rules as its non-disabled counterpart with a few modifications to accommodate the various disabilities. In sitting volleyball, the net is about 3.5 feet high, and the court is 10 x 6 meters with a two-meter attack line. Players are allowed to block serves, but one "cheek" must be in contact with the floor whenever they make contact with the ball. In standing volleyball, a mix of disabilities must be represented on the court at all time to equalize the level of play. Open to male and female athletes with: amputation/limb loss, spinal cord injury/wheelchair-users and cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke.
Other Non-Paralympic Sports
POWER SOCCER: Power Soccer is a team sport played by individuals with various disabilities. It is unisex by design, and male and femal participants are often on the same team. The game is played in a gymnasium on a regulation basketball court. Two teams of 4 power chair users attack, defend, and spin-kick a 13-inch soccer ball in an attempt to score points on a goal. The game is similar to the nonstop action seen in a typical soccer game. (Information in this section was taken from Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana.)
ROCK CLIMBING: Through the use of adaptive equipment such as chest harnesses and custom ascenders, participants can experience indoor rock climbing. Equipment aids in ascending techniques, but rock climbing remains intense and exciting and is a perfect activity for increasing physical fitness, self-esteem and confidence.
BEEP BASEBALL uses a beeping ball and buzzing bases to allow blind or visually impaired athletes to compete on the baseball field. Due to the full-speed nature of the game some injuries do occur, but players fully accept this risk for the sake of playing the sport they love. (Information in this section was taken from Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana.)
For every typical sport there is, there exists an adaptive version. Click on the sport to read more. Contact me if you are interested in being involved in one of these sports in your area.
