Mobility Info - Canada
Wheelchair Sports
Wheelchair Sports have become more familiar in recent years thanks to their increased exposure in the Paralympics. While the average person in the street will perhaps be aware of wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis and wheelchair track events, they might underestimate the wide range of sports in which wheelchair users can participate. These include archery, bowls, fencing, table tennis, wheelchair rugby, field athletics, road racing, handcycling, snooker and pool, racquetball, skiing, powerlifting and shooting. Swimming is also possible for many who are otherwise confined to a wheelchair.
Most wheelchair sports now have wheelchairs specifically designed or adapted for that particular activity; for example, basketball chairs incorporate a front guard in recognition of the likelihood of collisions in that sport. Although it is not essential to use a dedicated sports wheelchair when first trying out a new sport, it will really enhance competitiveness and enjoyment to acquire suitable equipment once the sport is taken up on a regular or serious basis. See the section about “Sports and Lightweight Wheelchairs” for more information.
In order to make competition fair, wheelchair sports are divided into classifications to enable those of similar ability to compete together. The number of classifications and the criteria used vary from sport to sport; some classifications are determined by specific disability, although classification by functional ability is becoming increasingly prevalent. Entry to wheelchair sports is usually governed by minimum disability, the level of disability at which an individual is eligible to participate.
The similarity between a wheelchair sport and its able-bodied equivalent varies greatly from sport to sport. Most sports use essentially the same rules, making only minimal changes to take account of the fact that the participants are wheelchair users – examples include archery and bowls. Others sports entail significant differences; for instance, in wheelchair tennis the ball is allowed to bounce twice, and in fencing, wheelchairs are clamped to the piste so participants cannot advance and retreat as in regular fencing. However, a sport such as wheelchair rugby is sufficiently different from traditional rugby that the name can almost be considered misleading.
A wheelchair sport should be chosen according to what attracts the individual and what the person most enjoys. Size, strength, aptitude and level of function will all have a bearing on which sports are most suitable. If in any doubt, it can be useful to check with a doctor or therapist that a particular activity is likely to be suitable. In any case, wheelchair sports can be tried out first before making any commitment; most can be enjoyed for fun and leisure rather than for serious competition.
Wheelchair Sports Organisations
In the United Kingdom, Wheelpower, formerly the British Wheelchair Sports Foundation, is the national charity for British Wheelchair Sport, providing, promoting and developing opportunities for the disabled to participate in recreational and competitive wheelchair sports. Wheelpower has its own accessible facilities at Stoke Mandeville Stadium, Buckinghamshire, including an athletics arena, sports hall, swimming pool and fitness centre, with on-site accommodation.
Indeed, Stoke Mandeville can rightly be considered the home of wheelchair sport. In 1948, the neurologist Dr. Ludwig Guttman began to see the advantages of using sport in the rehabilitation of wartime spinal injury victims at Stoke Mandeville. His work has developed over the intervening years into the Paralympic movement of today.
Wheelpower now organises Sports Camps for children and adults from introductory to elite level. There are Primary Sports Camps for 6 to 12 year olds and Junior Games for 12 to 18 year olds. Wheelpower is also the umbrella organisation that assists the various disabled sports associations in organising events. See www.wheelpower.org.uk for details.
In America, Wheelchair Sports USA provides sports and recreation opportunities for the disabled by facilitating, advocating and developing a national, community-based outreach program. In addition, it provides resources and education, conducts competitions and gives access to international sports events.
Founded in 1956 as the National Wheelchair Athletic Association, its remit, like that of the British organisation, was to help war veterans, by enabling them to participate in sports in addition to wheelchair basketball, the wheelchair sport of choice in those days. Today Wheelchair Sports USA oversees fourteen regional associations, each responsible for developing local wheelchair sports programs, and gives them guidance and support. WSUSA is essentially an all-volunteer organisation whose development is driven by wheelchair athletes themselves. Among other initiatives, the regional associations run annual competitions for junior athletes aged from 5 to 18, who make up 30% of the total WSUSA membership. Visit www.wsusa.org for more information.
The Canadian Wheelchair Sports Association (CWSA), founded in 1967, is an incorporated, not for profit national sports organization representing wheelchair athletes. It promotes excellence and develops opportunities for Canadians in wheelchair sport, as well as encouraging increased participation and improved access. CWSA acts as a voice for wheelchair athletes throughout Canada at all levels of participation.
Previously, CWSA was the national governing body for a whole range of wheelchair sports but now most of the sports are included in the appropriate national organization of their able-bodied equivalents; nevertheless, the CWSA still supports them at local level through its eleven provincial and territorial member organizations. The exceptions are wheelchair rugby and powerlifting, which are still managed wholly by the Canadian Wheelchair Sports Association. Find their website at www.cwsa.ca/
Sports
Archery
Wheelchair archery can involve slight modifications to equipment, but otherwise the rules are largely similar to those of regular archery, especially given that the lower half of the body plays little part anyway. The sport is divided into four classifications, including classes for quadriplegics, paraplegics and those who are able to stand.
The British Wheelchair Archery Association: www.british-wheelchair-archery.org.uk
Federation of Canadian Archers: www.fca.ca/
Bowls
The British Wheelchair Bowls Association can give advice on accessible clubs, equipment and rules, and it organises weekends at Stoke Mandeville for coaching to all standards. There are two types of purpose-designed wheelchair for bowls, which can be used both indoors and outdoors.
British Wheelchair Bowls Association: www.bwba.org.uk/
Bowls Canada: www.bowlscanada.com
Fencing
Wheelchair fencing differs from regular fencing in that competitors are clamped to a metal frame on the piste; otherwise the rules are essentially the same. Fencers are classified Class A, B or C according to level of disability.
British Disabled Fencing Association: www.bdfa.org.uk
Canadian Fencing Federation: http://www.fencing.ca
International Wheelchair Fencing Committee: www.iwfencing.com
Tennis
Wheelchair tennis was invented in 1976 and is one of the fastest-growing wheelchair sports. It is played from highly manoeuvrable chairs. The most obvious rule difference from tennis is that the ball can bounce twice before being returned (the second bounce can be outside the marked court). In Britain, the National Wheelchair Tennis Association runs a membership scheme and delivers training camps for beginners, further coaching and tournaments.
The Tennis Foundation: www.tennisfoundation.org.uk/disabilitytennis/
Tennis Canada: www.tenniscanada.ca/
Table Tennis
One of the oldest wheelchair sports, wheelchair table tennis is a more defensive game than the able-bodied variety. Again, participants play in categories based on their level of disability (10 classes, five of which are for wheelchair disabled); it is even possible to play against an able-bodied opponent.
American Wheelchair Table Tennis Association: www.awtta.org/
Table Tennis Canada: www.ctta.ca/
Wheelchair Rugby
Wheelchair rugby should not be seen as a wheelchair version of rugby. Though there are some elements in common between the two sports, wheelchair rugby was invented specifically as a disabled sport and is in fact more akin to basketball. It is played on a basketball court using a volleyball, and the object of the game is to carry the ball over the opponents’ goal line. Matches comprise four 8-minute quarters. Chair to chair contact is permitted, but not body contact.
Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby Association: www.gbwr.org.ukInternational Wheelchair Rugby Federation: www.iwrf.com
Canadian Wheelchair Rugby: www.cwsa.ca/
Basketball
One of the oldest and most familiar wheelchair sports, basketball is suitable for paraplegics, amputees and those with cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis and a range of other conditions. While very similar to able-bodied basketball, there are a few rule changes, notably concerning dribbling and fouling.
Great Britain Wheelchair Basketball Association: www.gbwba.org.uk
Wheelchair Basketball Canada: www.wheelchairbasketball.ca/
Athletics
Track events encompass various distances. Field events for wheelchair athletes are the shot putt, discus, javelin, club and pentathlon. In the club event, a wooden club is thrown in the manner of a discus, whereas the other throwing events are recognisable from their Olympic counterparts. Specially designed throwing frames are used for these throwing events. The pentathlon combines three field events and two track distances over the course of one day.
British Wheelchair Athletics Association: www.bwaa.co.uk
Racing
Wheelchair races can take place on the track or out on the roads, so any distance from 100 metres to a full marathon is catered for. Road racing distances tend to start at 5km.
Handcycling
Two types of handcycle - where the hands, rather than the feet, are used to propel the machine – are found in this wheelchair sport. The first consists of a hand cycling wheel mechanism that attaches to a wheelchair; the other is a stand-alone recumbent bike. Competitive handcycling races consist of three classifications for men and a combined class for women. However, handcycling is also an ideal activity for recreation and staying fit. The sport is sometimes also known as para-cycling.
Handcycling Association of the United Kingdom: www.handcyclinguk.org.uk
Canadian Cycling Association: www.canadian-cycling.com
Cue Sports
The cue sports of snooker, pool and billiards are open to wheelchair users. If necessary, players are allowed to use extended cues and/or special bridges, and may call on help to be pushed around the table. There are rules governing wheelchair height and parts of the body that must remain in contact with the chair during shots, but otherwise the differences with the regular versions of the games are minimal. In the United Kingdom, tournaments are organised by the British Wheelchair Cue Sports Association.
British Wheelchair Pool Players Association: www.bwppa.org
National Wheelchair Pool Player Association (U.S.A.): www.nwpainc.com
Winter Sports
Winter sports such as skiing, ice hockey and curling are possibly the last that one would expect to be accessible to wheelchair users. However, recent developments in adaptive equipment design have enabled those with a lower body impairment to take to the slopes using a mono-ski or bi-ski. The sport of curling can be played by mixed teams of four people.
The wheelchair equivalent of ice hockey is ice sledge hockey, in which athletes sit on sledges with two blades underneath, like large skates. Players carry two sticks that they use both for propulsion and for striking the puck. Apart from these adaptations, the rules are the same as those for ice hockey.
British Wheelchair Curling Association: www.zen7542.zen.co.uk/BWCA/
Sit Ski: www.sitski.com
Canadian Sledge Hockey: www.hockeycanada.ca/index.php/ci_id/7804/la_id/1.htm
Powerlifting
Participants must be fourteen and over and are classified by weight category. Athletes bench press weights rather than lift them in the conventional snatch or clean and jerk manners. In the United Kingdom, the sport is organised by the British Weightlifting Association for the Disabled.
Canadian Disabled Powerlifting: www.cwsa.ca/
Volleyball
Sitting volleyball, as the name suggests, is played while sitting on the floor. It is governed by the same rules as for the able-bodied version, with a few modifications. The height of the net and the size of the court are reduced, and players must remain in contact with the court while playing the ball.
Volleyball Canada (Sitting Volleyball): www.volleyball.ca/index.asp?page=286
Other Sports
Many wheelchair users can derive great benefit from participation in activities such as horse riding, sailing and swimming. Beyond these, there are even extreme sports activities for wheelchair users, ranging from downhill racing and wheelchair stunts to trail riding, waterskiing and even climbing.
Extreme Sports: www.apparelyzed.com/support/sport/xtreme_wheelchair_sports.html
