Wheelchair racquetball classification

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Disability racquetball classification is the medical based classification system developed to allow fair competition between racquetball players with different disability types and against able-bodied competitors. Internationally and in Canada, this classification system only allows only wheelchair users to be eligible to compete. In contrast, the United States classification system covers wheelchair users and people with vision impairments, with different classes inside these disability types.

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Internationally, the sport is governed by the International Racquetball Federation, with national governing bodies also dealing with classification including the United States Racquetball Association and Racquetball Canada. Rules for the sport were developed by the 1980s, and integration with the able-bodied side occurred by 1990 when able-bodied and wheelchair competitors competed in the same world championships. Inclusion was challenged in a court in United States in 1995. While the sport was never a full Paralympic one, it was a demonstration sport at the 1996 Summer Paralympics.

Classification is handled by the IRF Committee for Athletes with Disabilities who have the ability to screen or rescreen competitors for inclusion in the classification at their discretion. There are rule modifications that differ for wheelchair users and vision impaired users.

Definition

Classification systems for disability sport were designed to allow fair levels of competition for competitors with different types of disability, [1] with the sport utilising a medical classification system. [2] Competitors with ambulatory disabilities are able to compete against their able-bodied counterparts as a result of classification. [3] Internationally and in Canada, there is one classification eligible for participation: wheelchair users. They must have a permanent disability that requires them to use a wheelchair, and may not be able to compete using rules for able-bodied players because of their disability. [2] [4] In Canada, there have been different classes of competition inside wheelchair racquetball, with A and B at the 1989 Canadian Racquetball Championships. [5]

For racquetball in the United States, wheelchair and vision impairment racquetball are both recognised with their own classification. For players with vision impairments, three classes exist: B1, B2 and B3. B1 allows for competitors who are totally blind or having some light perception, while B2 allows for competitors with vision range that allows them to recognise hand movement to 20/600 corrected, and B3 allows for competitors with vision impairments from 20/600 to 20/200 corrected. [6] [7] Deaf racquetball has also been organised in the United States, [8] with players being eligible if their hearing loss is 55 db or greater [9] and sorted into divisions based on ability, age and gender. [10]

Governance

Globally, two organisations were involved with governing the sport during the 1990s. They included the International Stoke Mandeville Wheelchair Sports Federation (ISMWSF)'s Racquetball Di-vision and the Committee for Athletes with Disabilities – International Racquetball Federation (IRF). [11] Subsequently, the International Racquetball Federation has taken over the governance of the sport internationally, but only in terms of wheelchair racquetball and only recognising one classification. [2]

A set of wheelchair racquetball rules have been endorsed and are included in the official racquetball rules published by the United States Racquetball Association. These rules are included in the same ruleset used by able-bodied competitors. [12] American Amateur Racquetball Association has also developed and governs a classification system that was used in the 1990s. [6] The National Wheelchair Racquetball Association, who existed by 1985, [13] was overseen by the AARA in the 1990s. [14] National Racquetball Association of the Deaf is the governing body for deaf racquetball in the United States, [8] and is based around rules set out by the United States Racquetball Association. [9] [10]

In Canada, classification is handled by Racquetball Canada, where they recognise one wheelchair class and no vision impairment classes. [4] The organisation has been involved with wheelchair players since the 1980s. [15] Racquetball Ireland makes no provisions for intellectual disabilities, wheelchair users, deaf and vision impaired people in their September 2011 rules, [16] and England Squash and Racketball is the same for their rules dated April 2009. [17]

History

Rules for the sport date back to the 1980s. [18] In 1985, the Canadian national championships were integrated, including both non-disabled and disabled athletes in the same event. In 1990, the sport became the first one to integrate the world championships for non-disabled competitors with disabled competitors. [19] During the 1990s, racquetball was one of the sports that people with disabilities were most likely to play. [20] In the United States in 1995, a wheelchair user brought suit against a racquetball league after he was unable to compete against top level players with a modified two bounce rule, citing the Americans With Disabilities Act and alleging a violation of Title III of the law. The court ruled in the favour of the league, citing that the rule modification for a wheelchair user would fundamentally change the rules of the game. [21] [22] Classification for wheelchair sport on the Paralympic level was being organised by the ISMWSF and included all types of wheelchair users. Despite these changes to sport governance, racquetball has never been included on the Paralympic programme as a full medal sport, [23] [24] though it was a demonstration sport at the 1996 Summer Paralympics. [25] [26]

Process, rules and equipment

Classification is handled by the IRF Committee for Athletes with Disabilities who have the ability to screen or rescreen competitors for inclusion in the classification at their discretion. [2]

The standard rules for racquetball are generally used, with some exceptions for wheelchair users. The ball is allowed to bounce twice except in the division that allows more than two bounces. The wheelchair is considered part of the body as applies to ball contact. Additional specific rules include the requirement that only the wheelchair wheels may be used to support the player: hands and feed cannot be used. The player must remain in the wheelchair at all times. [4] [6] [27] The divisions that wheelchair users compete in are also different from non-disabled competitors. [6]

There are few restrictions on the type of mobility assisting equipment used by wheelchair competitors except that it cannot interfere with the movement of the other player. [4] Players in wheelchair classes may choose to compete with roller bars attached to their chair, or have non-marking tires positioned under their footrest. [3]

In competitions sanctioned inside the United States, when doubles matches are being played with partners from different classes, the pair competes in the division for the higher functioning pairs partner. [4] [27] The rules have been modified for players with vision impairments, allowing players to attempt to hit the ball until the "ball has been touched." [6] [7] or "The ball has stopped bouncing." [6] [7] or "The ball has passed the short line after touching the back wall." [6] [7] The rules for deaf competitors are the same when competing against non-disabled competitors, with the deaf classification applying only for eligibility in deaf only events. [7] The National Racquetball Association of the Deaf uses a version of the rules set out by the United States Racquetball Association. [9] [10]

Related Research Articles

Paralympic sports

The Paralympic sports comprise all the sports contested in the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games. As of 2020, the Summer Paralympics included 22 sports and 539 medal events, and the Winter Paralympics include 5 sports and disciplines and about 80 events. The number and kinds of events may change from one Paralympic Games to another.

Para-athletics Paralympic sport

Para-athletics is the sport of athletics practised by people with a disability as a parasport. The athletics events within the parasport are mostly the same as those available to able-bodied people, with two major exceptions in wheelchair racing and the club throw, which are specific to the division. The sport is known by various names, including disability athletics, disabled track and field and Paralympic athletics. Top-level competitors may be called elite athletes with disability.

Summer Paralympic Games

The Summer Paralympics also known as the Games of the Paralympiad, are an international multi-sport event where athletes with physical disabilities compete. This includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and cerebral palsy. The Paralympic Games are held every four years, organized by the International Paralympic Committee. Medals are awarded in each event, with gold medals for first place, silver for second and bronze for third, a tradition that the Olympic Games started in 1904.

Winter Paralympic Games International multi-sport event for disabled athletes

The Winter Paralympic Games is an international multi-sport event where athletes with physical disabilities compete in snow and ice sports. This includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and cerebral palsy. The Winter Paralympic Games are held every four years directly following the Winter Olympic Games. The Winter Paralympics are also hosted by the city that hosted the Winter Olympics. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) oversees the Winter Paralympics. Medals are awarded in each event: with gold medals for first place, silver for second and bronze for third, following the tradition that the Olympic Games started in 1904.

Disability sports classification is a system that allows for fair competition between people with different types of disabilities.

B2 (classification)

B2 is a medical based Paralympic classification for blind sport. Competitors in this classification have vision that falls between the B1 and B3 classes. The International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) defines this classification as "visual acuity ranging from LogMAR 1.50 to 2.60 (inclusive) and/or visual field constricted to a diameter of less than 10 degrees." It is used by a number of blind sports including para-alpine skiing, para-Nordic skiing, blind cricket, blind golf, five-a-side football, goalball and judo. Some sports, including adaptive rowing, athletics and swimming, have equivalents to this class.

Wheelchair basketball classification is the system that allows for even levels of competition on the court for wheelchair basketball based on functional mobility. The classifications for the sport are 1 point player, 2 point player, 3 point player, 4 point player and 4.5 point player, the greater the player's functional ability. Classification for the sport is set by the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation.

Para-athletics classification is a system to determine which athletes with disabilities may compete against each other in para-athletics events. Classification is intended to group together athletes with similar levels of physical ability to allow fair competition. Classification was created and is managed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), which is regularly published via its IPC Athletics Classification Handbook. People with physical, vision and intellectual disabilities are eligible to compete in this sport at the Summer Paralympics. The classification for this sport was created during the 1940s and for much of its early history was a medical condition based classification system. The classification system has subsequently become a functional mobility based one, and is moving towards an evidence-based classification system.

Para-swimming classification is a function-based classification system designed to allow for fair competition in disability swimming. The classes are prefixed with "S" for freestyle, butterfly and backstroke events, "SB" for breaststroke and "SM" for individual medley events. Swimmers with physical disabilities are divided into ten classes based on their degree of functional disability: S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7, S8, S9 and S10. The lower number indicates a greater degree of impairment. Those with visual impairments are placed in three additional classes: S11, S12 and S13. One more class, S14, is reserved for swimmers with intellectual impairment. A final class, S15, is for athletes with hearing loss.

Para-cycling classification is the process of classifying participants in para-cycling covering four functional disability types. The classification system includes classes for handcycles for people who have lower limb mobility issues. The sport is governed by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI).

Para-alpine skiing classification is the classification system for para-alpine skiing designed to ensure fair competition between alpine skiers with different types of disabilities. The classifications are grouped into three general disability types: standing, blind and sitting. Classification governance is handled by International Paralympic Committee Alpine Skiing. Prior to that, several sport governing bodies dealt with classification including the International Sports Organization for the Disabled (ISOD), International Stoke Mandeville Games Federation (ISMWSF), International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) and Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association (CP-ISRA). Some classification systems are governed by bodies other than International Paralympic Committee Alpine Skiing, such as the Special Olympics. The sport is open to all competitors with a visual or physical disability. It is not open to people with intellectual disabilities.

Para-Nordic skiing classification

Para-Nordic skiing classification is the classification system for para-Nordic skiing which includes the biathlon and cross-country events. The classifications for Para-Nordic skiing mirrors the classifications for Para-Alpine skiing with some exceptions. A functional mobility and medical classification is in use, with skiers being divided into three groups: standing skiers, sit skiers and visually impaired skiers. International classification is governed by International Paralympic Committee, Nordic Skiing (IPC-NS). Other classification is handled by national bodies. Before the IPC-NS took over classification, a number of organizations handled classification based on the type of disability.

Para-archery classification

Para-archery classification is the classification system for para-archery used to create a level playing field for archers with a different range of disabilities. Governance in the sport is through the International Archery Federation. Early classification systems for the game to have and were created during the 1940s and based on medical classification. This has subsequently changed to a functional mobility classification with the exception of blind archery.

Paralympic powerlifting classification is the system designed for disability based powerlifting to insure that there is level competition across a range of disabilities. Categories are broken down based on weight. The sport's classification is governed by International Paralympic Committee Powerlifting. People with physical disabilities are eligible to compete in this sport.

Para-equestrian classification is a system for para-equestrian sport is a graded system based on the degree of physical or visual disability and handled at the international level by the FEI. The sport has eligible classifications for people with physical and vision disabilities. Groups of eligible riders include The sport is open to competitors with impaired muscle power, athetosis, impaired passive range of movement, hypertonia, limb deficiency, ataxia, leg length difference, short stature, and vision impairment. They are grouped into five different classes to allow fair competition. These classes are Grade I, Grade II, Grade III, Grade IV, and Grade V(Grade Names Changed as of Jan 2017). The para-equestrian classification does not consider the gender of the rider, as equestrines compete in mixed gender competitions.

Wheelchair curling classification is the disability classification system for wheelchair curling, which is governed by the World Curling Federation. Only curlers with lower limb mobility problems are allowed to compete.

Para-equestrian is an equestrian sport governed by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI), and includes two competitive events: One is para-equestrian dressage, which is conducted under the same basic rules as conventional dressage, but with riders divided into different competition grades based on their functional abilities. The other is para-equestrian driving, which operates under the same basic rules as combined driving but places competitors in various grades based on their functional abilities.

Les Autres sport classification is system used in disability sport for people with locomotor disabilities not included in other classification systems for people with physical disabilities. The purpose of this system is to facilitate fair competition between people with different types of disabilities, and to give credibility to disability sports. It was designed and managed by International Sports Organization for the Disabled (ISOD) until the 2005 merger with IWAS, when management switched to that organization. Classification is handled on the national level by relevant sport organizations.

LA6 is a Les Autres sport classification is an ambulatory sport classification for a sportsperson with a disability that impacts their locomotor function. People in this class have a minimal locomotor disability that tends to impact one of their upper limbs or knees. The class includes people with arthritis and osteoporosis, or ankylosis of the knee.

Wheelchair sport classification is a system designed to allow fair competition between people of different disabilities, and minimize the impact of a person's specific disability on the outcome of a competition. Wheelchair sports is associated with spinal cord injuries, and includes a number of different types of disabilities including paraplegia, quadriplegia, muscular dystrophy, post-polio syndrome and spina bifida. The disability must meet minimal body function impairment requirements. Wheelchair sport and sport for people with spinal cord injuries is often based on the location of lesions on the spinal cord and their association with physical disability and functionality.

References

  1. ↑ Project INSPIRE: Amy McBride (24 February 2011). "A History and Background of Disability Sport". Texas: Texas Women's University. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 International Racquetball Federation. "2006-2008 Official International Racquetball Federation Rules, Policies & Procedures" (PDF). Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin-Madison. p. 12.
  3. 1 2 Alexander, Michael A.; Matthews, Dennis J. (2009). Pediatric Rehabilitation: Principles and Practice. Demos Medical Publishing. p. 94. ISBN   978-1-935281-65-8.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Racquetball Rules". Canada: Racquetball Canada. 6 December 2006.
  5. ↑ Higgs, Colin (October 1989). "Wheelchair Racquetball: A Preliminary Time Motion Analysis". APAQ. 7 (4): 370–384.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "1996-97 AARA OFFICIAL RULES OF RACQUETBALL". New Jersey: The Garden State Racquetball Association. 1996.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "2011 USAR Official Rules of Racquetball" (PDF). United States: United States Racquetball Association. 2011. p. 24.
  8. 1 2 Stewart, David Alan (1991). Deaf Sport: The Impact of Sports Within the Deaf Community . Gallaudet University Press. pp.  222. ISBN   978-0-930323-74-5 . Retrieved 9 November 2012.
  9. 1 2 3 Norton, Cheryl; Bryant, James E. (January 1995). Beginning racquetball. Morton.
  10. 1 2 3 The National Racquetball Association of the Deaf. "The National Racquetball Association of the Deaf PLAYERS' GUIDELINES" (PDF). United States.
  11. ↑ Walker, Karen (1 March 1994). "Getting into wheelchair sports". Australia: Abilities Magazine.
  12. ↑ Winnick, Joseph P. (2010). Adapted Physical Education and Sport. Human Kinetics. p. 49. ISBN   978-0-7360-8918-0.
  13. ↑ Emmis Communications (August 1985). Orange Coast Magazine. Emmis Communications. p. 112. ISSN   0279-0483.
  14. ↑ DePauw, Karen P; Gavron, Susan J (1995). Disability and sport . Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. p. 314. ISBN   0873228480. OCLC   31710003.
  15. ↑ Canadian Raquetball Association, Wheelchair Racquetball Committee (1988). Wheelchair racquetball for beginners. Canadian Raquetball Association. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
  16. ↑ "RACQUETBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND RULES AND REGULATIONS" (PDF). Ireland: Racquetball Australia. September 2011.
  17. ↑ "Racketball Rules – April 2009" (PDF). England: England Squash and Racketball. April 2009.
  18. ↑ Moore, Alan C.; Scott, Thomas McDonald; Porterfield, William (1986). Three-wall racquetball everyone. Hunter Textbooks. ISBN   978-0-88725-049-1.
  19. ↑ Daignault, Louis. "Integration Battle Heats Up at CommonWealth Games". Canada: Access Guide Canada.
  20. ↑ Steven J. Karageanes (2004). Principles of Manual Sports Medicine. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. p. 621. ISBN   978-0-7817-4189-7.
  21. ↑ Goren, William D. (2010). Understanding the Americans with Disabilities Act. American Bar Association. pp. 114–115. ISBN   978-1-60442-904-6.
  22. ↑ BNA's Americans with Disabilities Act Manual: Newsletter. Bureau of National Affairs. 2004. p. 22.
  23. ↑ DePauw, Karen P; Gavron, Susan J (1995). Disability and sport. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. p.  128. ISBN   0873228480. OCLC   31710003.
  24. ↑ Ian Brittain (2009). The Paralympic Games Explained. Taylor & Francis. p. 39. ISBN   978-0-415-47658-4.
  25. ↑ Howe, P David (2008). The Cultural Politics of the Paralympic Movement: Through an Anthropological Lens. Psychology Press. p. 31. ISBN   978-0-415-28886-6.
  26. ↑ Bailey, Steve (2008). Athlete first: a history of the paralympic movement. John Wiley & Sons. p. 178. ISBN   978-0-470-05824-4.
  27. 1 2 "2011 USAR Official Rules of Racquetball" (PDF). United States: United States Racquetball Association. 2011. p. 19.
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