Key facts

Venue: North Greenwich Arena; Olympic Park - Basketball Arena
Dates: Thursday 30 August – Saturday 8 September 2012
Medal events: 2
Athletes: 264 (144 men, 120 women; 12 men’s teams and 10 women’s teams)

Wheelchair Basketball was developed by American World War II veterans as part of their rehabilitation programme, but its popularity soon spread around the world. Now played in more than 80 countries, it is one of the most dynamic on the Paralympic programme, and should draw large and enthusiastic crowds to the Basketball Arena and North Greenwich Arena during London 2012.

The basics

The rules of Wheelchair Basketball are broadly similar to Basketball. The court is the same size, the basket is at the same height, and the scoring is identical: two points for a regular shot from open play, one point for each successful free throw and three points for a shot from distance (6.75m from the basket). Players move the ball around the court by passing or dribbling, and are required to throw or bounce the ball after every two pushes of the wheels on their chairs to avoid being penalised for travelling.

There are 12 players in each team, with no more than five on court. Every player is assigned a point value based on their functional ability, from 0.5 (the most severely disabled) to 4.5, and the total on-court point value for each team should not exceed 14 during play.

Both the men’s and women’s tournaments begin with a round-robin – the 12 men’s teams divided into two groups of six teams, the 10 women’s teams divided into groups of five. The top four teams in each group qualify for the quarter-finals, from which point the tournaments are played to a knockout format.

Wheelchair Basketball at the Paralympic Games, past and present

Wheelchair Basketball featured at the first Games in Rome 1960, and has remained on the Paralympic programme ever since. The women’s competition was added at the Tel Aviv 1968 Games.

Jargon buster

- Assist: A pass that leads directly to a basket scored by a teammate.
- Downtown: The area outside the three-point line.
- Shot clock: A timer measuring the length of time since the last shot. If the ball doesn’t touch the rim or pass through the net within 24 seconds, possession passes to the opposition.

See Wheelchair Basketball in action on ParalympicSportTV

See the London 2012 Paralympic Games competition schedule (subject to change)

Get involved

There are plenty of opportunities to play Wheelchair Basketball around the UK, with players of all backgrounds enjoying this fast and skilful sport. Find out more by visiting the website for the Great Britain Wheelchair Basketball Association as well as the Active Places website to find a court near you. You can also learn more about how to get involved on the Parasport website, while the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation offers plenty of information about the sport at a global level.

See also