History Of Wheelchair Athletics

Wheelchair athletics have been traced back to the years following World War II when disabled war veterans began organizing amateur sports leagues. Today, wheelchair athletes have an opportunity to compete with other disabled athletes in international competitions including the Summer and Winter Paralympics Games and other world championship sports leagues.

1940s

The Stoke-Mandeville Games originated in 1948 and featured British wheelchair-bound World War II veterans with spinal cord injuries. The games were named for the hospital housing the athletes and were meant to provide therapy to the patients. In the first year, 16 paralyzed patients played archery.

In 1946, the Paralyzed Veterans of America's California and New England chapters played wheelchair basketball, forming the National Wheelchair Basketball Association, or NWBA. By 1948, the United States had six teams, and two chapters received sponsorship to compete against teams around the country.

1950s

The Stoke-Mandeville Games became an international competition in 1952 when disabled veterans from the Netherlands competed against wheelchair-bound athletes in Britain. There were 130 competitors in the first year.

The National Wheelchair Athletic Association was established in 1956 and changed to Wheelchair & Ambulatory Sports, USA, or WAUSA, in 1994. The WAUSA grew out of a desire by wheelchair-bound American WWII veterans to organize leagues other than basketball, which had hit a peak in popularity. The WAUSA included women and quadriplegics, two groups that wheelchair basketball leagues were not accommodating at that point.

The NWBA competed in its first international game in 1954 when the Canadian Paraplegic Association's Montreal Wheelchair Wonders were invited to participate in the league's sixth annual tournament.

1970s

The National Foundation for Wheelchair Tennis organized in 1976. While the organization was later acquired by the United States Tennis Association, according to the International Tennis Federation, wheelchair tennis was one of the fastest growing wheelchair sports in the world.

1980s

In July 1984, WAUSA sanctioned the National Junior Disability Championships for wheelchair athletes between the ages of 7 and 19. The first competition consisted of only three events. Since then, the age range expanded to accommodate disabled athletes up to 21 years old in the United States and several other foreign countries. Events include swimming, table tennis and three-on-three wheelchair basketball.

In 1984, the Summer Olympics formally introduced wheelchair athletes to the world with exhibition track events held in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Because it was not an official event, no medals were awarded.

2000s

In 2005, "Murderball," a film about quadraplegic rugby players, hit film festivals, winning a slew of awards, including two Sundance prizes. "Murderball" ended up getting nominated for an Oscar in 2006.

On July 13, 2006, 14-year-old wheelchair skateboarder Aaron Fotheringham broke a world record, becoming the first extreme wheelchair athlete to perform a 180-degree aerial back flip.

Ernst van Dyk became the "winningest Boston Marathon competitor of all time" in any division in 2010 after dominating the men's wheelchair division of the race for the previous eight races.