Wheelchair Sports

Wheelchair sports is a section of disabled sports which are sports played by persons with a disability, including physical and intellectual disabilities. As many of these based on existing sports modified to meet the needs of persons with a disability, they are sometimes referred to as adapted sports. However, not all disabled sports are adapted; several sports that have been specifically created for persons with a disability have no equivalent in able-bodied sports.

Organized sport for athletes with a disability is generally divided into three broad disability groups: the deaf, persons with physical disabilities, and persons with intellectual disabilities. Each group has a distinct history, organization, competition program, and approach to sport.

Organized sport for persons with physical disabilities developed out of rehabilitation programs. Following the Second World War, in response to the needs of large numbers injured ex-service members and civilians, sport was introduced as a key part of rehabilitation. Sport for rehabilitation grew into recreational sport and then into competitive sport. The pioneer of this approach was Sir Ludwig Guttmann of the Stoke Mandeville Hospital in England. In 1948, while the Olympic Games were being held in London, he organized a sports competition for wheelchair athletes at Stoke Mandeville. This was the origin of the Stoke Mandeville Games, which evolved into the modern Paralympic Games. Currently, Paralympic sport is governed by the International Paralympic Committee, in conjunction with a wide range of other international sport organizations.

There are a wide range of sports that have been adapted to be played by people with varying types of disability, as well as several that are unique to disabled sports. Within each movement, different sports are practiced at different levels; for example, not all sports in the Paralympic movement are part of the Paralympic Games. In addition, many sports are practiced by persons with a disability outside the formal sports movements.

Some wheelchair sports are Wheelchair Dance Sport, Wheelchair Curling, Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Fencing, Wheelchair Rugby, Wheelchair Tennis and of course, many others played in the Paralympics.

Disabled athletes use streamlined sport wheelchairs for wheelchair sports that require speed and agility, such as basketball, rugby, tennis and racing. Each wheelchair sport tends to use specific types of wheelchairs which don't  look like anything like normal manual wheelchairs. They are usually non-folding (in order to increase solidity), with a pronounced angle for the wheels (which provides stability during a sharp turn) and made of composite, lightweight materials. Wheelchairs used in wheelchair sports are not generally for everyday use, and are often a 'second' chair specifically for sport use, although some users prefer the sport options for everyday.

A modern racing wheelchair