Classification works slightly differently in 3×3 wheelchair basketball – first played as a Commonwealth sport at Birmingham 2022 – compared to other para-sports at the Games.
An athlete’s capacity to complete the skills necessary to play – pushing, pivoting and shooting – is assessed by certified classifiers.
Individual players are given a classification number based on this, and to ensure fairness in matches, a team of three cannot exceed a points total of 8.5 points for on-court players at any point.
Otherwise, the rules of wheelchair 3×3 are in line with most of the rules seen in the running game.
Court size, hoop height, game length and the first-to-21 wins system remain the same across both disciplines.
There are however some adaptations for wheelchair movement, such as in the travel rule, which is adjusted so that athletes must pass or bounce the ball after every two pushes on their wheelchair, to avoid being penalised.
Playing at speed with heavy-duty wheelchairs can result in some collisons, but deliberate head-on contact is banned.
