http://www.sportingpulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?c=1-4933-0-0-0

Wheelchair Basketball is an immensely popular sport that is open to both men and women with a physical disability. One of the earliest Paralympic Sports - its origins are in the 1940s when it was used as a rehabilitation tool for injured WWII servicemen and women - the adapted game is very similar to the running game.

Court size, ball size and net height (10 foot from the ground) are the same as the running game, as are the number of players on court (five). A player can't stay in the key (the area around the basket) for more than three seconds without taking a shot, and may not take more than two pushes or touches of the wheels without bouncing or passing the ball. In addition, all international games last 40 minutes.

Classification is based on physical ability and players are given a points rating between 1 and 4.5: those with 1 point have the highest level of impairment and those with 4.5 the lowest. A team on court may not exceed 14 points at any given time.

The International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) is the governing body and it is estimated that more than 100,000 people play wheelchair basketball, from recreation to club play. International opportunities and competitions abound, with the Paralympic Games medals being the most coveted of accolades.

Wheelchair Basketball New Zealand is one of 82 National Organisations that is actively participating in wheelchair basketball around the world.