Date: Thursday 27th – Sunday 29th May
Venue: Manchester Regional Arena

Wheelchair basketball is a dynamic, high skill, team sport. Players master the hand-eye ball skills that make basketball an exciting, fast paced game to watch or play whilst also displaying speed and precision from their wheelchairs.

In 2010 eight of the best international teams will battle against each other over four days of tough competition. GB will battle against teams representing the Americas, Europe and the rest of the world in the Team Competition which this year is raising the stakes.

Not only will teams be competing to win the Wheelchair Basketball Trophy, they will be hoping to secure as many points as possible so that their team can lift the inaugural overall BT Paralympic World Cup Trophy after the final day of competition.

Facts about Wheelchair Basketball

Wheelchair Basketball is only open to wheelchair athletes.
Athletes are classified according to their physical ability and are given a points rating between 1 and 4.5; 1-pointers being the most severely disabled and 4.5 the least disabled.
Each team fields five players (and is allowed seven substitutes) however the team on court may not exceed a total of 14 points at any given time. For further information on classification please see the BBC Sport site for disability classification.
The game also cannot be drawn, and the match will continue in 5 minute periods should the score be tied at the end of playing time, allowing for the winner to be battled out.

Scoring:

A goal is credited to the team attacking the basket into which the ball has entered as follows:
A goal from a free throw counts one (1) point.
A goal from the two-point field goal area counts two (2) points.
A goal from the three-point field goal area counts three (3) points.

Every team has 24 seconds to complete its attempt to score a basket. If the team with the ball exceeds this time limit, then the ball and the right of play is granted to the opposing team.

As in able-bodied Basketball, players must dribble the ball when having gained control of it. It is a traveling violation to take more then two pushes on the wheels without dribbling the ball. A player is not allowed to touch the playing surface with his or her feet while in possession of the ball.