wheelchairs basketball is basketball played by people in wheelchairs and is considered one of the major disabled sports practiced. The International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) is the governing body for this sport. It is recognized by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) as the sole competent authority in wheelchair basketball world wide. FIBA has recognized IWBF under Article 53 of its General Statutes.Wheelchair Basketball was originally developed by World War II veterans in the USA in 1945/1946. At the same time, Sir Ludwig Guttmann developed a similar sport named Wheelchair Netball at the Spinal Rehabilitation Hospital at Stoke Mandeville, Great Britain, to aid the rehabilitation of war veterans. When the US Wheelchair Basketball team, the Pan Am Jets, competed for the first time at the International Stoke Mandeville Games in 1955, there were no backboards owing to the British sport being Netball. This was amended for the following year's Games. National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) is composed of 181 wheelchair basketball teams within twenty-two conferences. Founded in 1949 by Tim Nugent, the NWBA today consists of men's, women's, intercollegiate, and youth teams throughout the United States of America and Canada.
Wheelchair basketball
