There are dozens of adaptive sports available for paraplegics, but you usually only hear about the popular ones — wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis, adaptive skiing. Other sports like adaptive swimming and wheelchair racing get a lot of attention as well. The truth is that there are dozens of adaptive sports and many do not get much attention.
There are also new adaptive sports being dreamt up all the time for people with paralysis, and there are more are added to the Paralympics every two to four years. To see new and exciting adaptive sports you haven't heard of before, check out our list below.
Wheelchair Cricket
Created over 400 years ago in the United Kingdom, cricket is similar to baseball. Wheelchair-users began to play cricket as part of their rehabilitation in the mid to late 20th century. It wasn't until a few years ago however that wheelchair cricket leagues were created. Wheelchair cricket games were first played in India in 2017. Within 3 to 4 years, the sport has exploded and currently has 400 players and dozens of teams throughout the country.
Wheelchair cricket is played in the UK, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India. To see the rules of wheelchair cricket, click here: https://cdn.website-editor.net/524a0e7ada9b404aaf2d95559972d40b/files/uploaded/Wheelchair%20Cricket-%20Competition%20Rules.pdf
Adaptive Paddle Boarding
In 2014, adaptive paddle boarding was dreamt up by a man in Hawaii who wanted to help people with disabilities experience the freedom of paddleboarding. He created an adaptive paddleboard that he now sells, and he offers free lessons to anyone who comes to Hawaii. You can roll your wheelchair right onto his adapted paddleboard and after being secured, you can paddle just like everyone. You can find adaptive paddle boarding at disability sport organizations throughout the country. Check out Onit Ability Boards here: http://www.accessrevolution.com/onit-ability-board
Wheelchair Boxing
One of the oldest sports in the world is boxing. Wheelchair boxing however is quite new. Modern-day boxing has its roots in the United Kingdom. The Adaptive Boxing Organization, also in the UK, was founded in 2016. People of all ages and abilities are invited to partake in this exciting sport. A typical wheelchair boxing match will feature two paraplegics. The rules are similar to Olympic style amateur boxing rules. Fighters are also classified by disability. Wheelchair boxing advocates would like to see their sport in the 2024 Paralympic games.
Wheelchair Pickleball
Invented in the 1960s by bored kids in Washington State, pickleball combines elements of badminton, tennis, and ping-pong/table tennis. The court is a badminton-sized court, the net is similar to a tennis net, the players use paddles similar to what’s used in ping-pong and a small wiffle ball is used. Wheelchair pickleball was first played in 2013 by a paraplegic in Colorado, Rick Marion. Pickleball can be played with able-bodied players, which makes it a huge draw. Wheelchairs players however must adhere to their rules while playing. Click here for the rules: https://usapickleball.org/play/wheelchair-pickleball/
Para-Badminton
Badminton is a longtime sport originating from England. It is also popular among wheelchair users. So much so that it was chosen by the International Paralympic Committee to be an official Paralympic sport in the Tokyo 2021 games. This means that wheelchair badminton is played in dozens of countries around the world. The rules are not that different than standing badminton. To learn more about wheelchair badminton, click here: https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Badminton/Para-ORIGINAL
These are just a handful of not as popular adaptive sports to explore. There are so many more to discover. An honorable mention goes to adaptive snowboarding which is a growing sport among paraplegic athletes. To see the adapted snowboard, click here: https://prodaptive.nl/about-the-twinrider/
