Wheelchair Sports Activities

Competitive wheelchair sports activities began in the late 1940's when disabled war veterans began tossing a basketball around their hospital ward, according to the Paralyzed Veterans of America Association.

wheelchair sports

The psychological and physical benefits of sports participation opened up exciting opportunities and challenges for disabled athletes. In 1957, the first National Wheelchair Games were held in New York City. Since then, wheelchair sports activities have grown to international status and are attended by thousands each year.

Whether you are an athlete or not, exercise is essential to your health and well being. Following is a list of global organizations dedicated to furthering wheelchair sports activities.

American Association of Adapted Sports Programs
www.adaptedsports.org
P.O. Box 451047, Atlanta, GA 31145
Ph: 404-294-0070, Email: sports@adaptedsports.org
Works in partnership with education agencies in the U.S. to establish programs, policies, procedures, and regulations in interscholastic adapted sports for students with physical disabilities to enhance educational outcomes.

Achilles Track Club
www.achillesinternational.org
42 West 38th Street, Suite 400, New York, NY 10018
Ph: 212-354-0300, e-mail: AchillesClub@aol.com
Achilles’ mission is to enable people with all types of disabilities to participate in mainstream track and running athletics to promote personal achievement, enhanced self esteem, and the lowering of barriers between people.

Adaptive Adventures
www.adaptiveadventures.org
4840 Pearl East Circle - 201W, Boulder, CO 80301
Ph: 877-303-2770, Email: info@adaptiveadventures.org
Adaptive Adventures identifies, promotes, and provides progressive recreational opportunities and wheelchair sports activities for people with disabilities and their families.

Alberta Amputee Sport & Recreation Association
www.aasra.ab.ca
P.O. Box 708, Station M, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2P 2J3
Ph: 888-501-0507, Email: info@aasra.ab.ca
Alberta Amputee Sport and Recreation Association supports and provides opportunity for amputees in recreation and sporting activities, in both disabled and able bodied events.

Australian Athletes with a Disability
Building A 1 Herb Elliott Avenue, Sydney Olympic Park
P.O. Box 4083 Homebush NSW 2140
Ph: 61-2-8116-9720, Email: info@sports.org.au 
Australian Athletes with a Disability is responsible for the administration of Australian Sports Organisation for the Disabled, Cerebral Palsy Sports and Recreation Federation of Australia and Wheelchair Sports Australia.

Australian Sports Commission
www.ausport.gov.au
PO Box 176, Belconnen, ACT 2616, Australia
Ph: 61-2-6214-1111, Email: asc@ausport.gov.au
The AIS is a pre-eminent elite sports training institution in Australia with world class facilities and support services.

Bay Area Outreach & Recreation Program
www.borp.org ph: 510-849-4663, E-mail: info@borp.org
The Bay Area Outreach and Recreation Program provides challenging and innovative sports and recreation programs to area residents with physical disabilities and visual impairments.

British Columbia Wheelchair Sports Association
www.bcwheelchairsports.com
780 S.W. Marine Drive, Vancouver, BC V6P 5Y7
Ph: 877.737.3090, Email: info@bcwheelchairsports.com
British Columbia Wheelchair Sports is a not-for-profit organization devoted to providing opportunities for athletes with physical disabilities.

Canadian Wheelchair Sports Association
www.cwsa.ca
#108-2255 St. Laurent Blvd., Ottawa, ON, K1G 4K3
Ph: 613-523-0004, Email: info@cwsa.ca
The Canadian Wheelchair Sports Association is a national sport organization representing wheelchair athletes.

Cerebral Palsy International Sports & Recreation Association
www.cpisra.org
10428-132 Street Edmonton, AB T5N 1Z2
Ph.49-2641-916073, Email: sandy.hermiston@cpisra.org
CPISRA is committed to providing wheelchair sports activities and opportunities to those with cerebral palsy and related impairments.

Dansk Handicap IdrÊts-Forbund
www.dhif.dk
Idrættens Hus, Brøndby Stadion 20, 2605 Brøndby 
Ph: 4326-2626, Email: handicapidraet@dhif.dk

Disabled Sports USA
www.disabledsportsusa.org
451 Hungerford Drive, Suite 100, Rockville, MD 20850
Ph: 301-217-0960, Email: information@dsusa.org
Disabled Sports USA is a national nonprofit, tax exempt organization providing sports and recreation services to children and adults with disabilities.

Disability Sport South Africa
www.dissa.co.za
Mandeville Sports Club, Corner 10th Street & 7th Avenue, Bezuidenhout Valley 2094
Ph: 011-616-7576, Email: info@dissa.co.za
DSSA provides access to all persons with a disability in South Africa to participate in wheelchair sports activities and recreation enabling them to achieve their potential.

Far West Wheelchair Athletics Association - San Jose, California
www.sanjoseca.gov
1677 Park Ave., San Jose, CA 95126
Ph: 408-794-1443, Email: lauri.yarwasky@sanjoseca.gov
Far West Wheelchair Sports promotes sports competition, recreation and fitness to people with physical disabilities and to recognize those achievements withing the community.

Finnish Association of Sports for the Disabled
Suomen Invalidien Urheiliitto, Kumpulantie 1, Finland, 00520 Helsinki
Ph: 019-613-191, Email: nina.jakonen@siu.fi

Grand Rapids Wheelchair Sports Association
www.grwsa.com
235 Wealthy Street, SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Ph: 616-242-0351, Email: info@grwsa.com
The Grand Rapids Wheelchair Sports Association is designed to help children and adults whose physical challenges require them to use a wheelchair to play competitive and recreational sports.

Great Lakes Adaptive Sports Association 
www.glasa.org
400 E. Illinois Rd, Lake Forest, IL 60045 Ph: 847-283-0908, Email: chousner@glasa.org 
Great Lakes Adaptive Sports Association exists to promote and optimal development and well being of youth and adults who have a primary physical or visual impairment through recreational, fitness and competitive wheelchair sports activities.

International Paralympic Committee
Adenauerallee 212-214, 53113 Bonn, Germany
www.paralympic.org
Ph: 49-228-2097-200 E-mail: info@paralympic.org
Serves as the international governing body of sports for disabled athletes, acts as the International Federation for 12 sports, and supervises the Paralympic Summer and Winter Games and other multi-disability competitions.

K.S.I. "START" Szczecin
ul. Litewska 20, 71-344 Szczecin, Poland
Ph: 48-91- 431-58 -35, E-mail: start-szczecin@post.pl

Kyle Pease Foundation
www.kylepeasefoundation.org
2566 Shallowford Rd  Ste 104, #319, Atlanta, GA 30345
The purpose of the Kyle Pease Foundation is to create awareness and raise funds to promote success for persons with disabilities by providing assistance to meet their individual needs through sports.

Michigan Wheelchair Athletic Association
www.miwheelchairathleticassociation.org
144410 Vale Court, Sterling heights, Michigan 48312 
Ph: 810-446-2489, Email: dianecrash@yahoo.com
Michigan Athletic Association hosts regional qualifying meets that are prerequisites for national competition, for athletes with mobility challenges. Athletes compete in a wide variety of wheelchair sports activities from track and field events to swimming.

National Sports Center for the Disabled
www.nscd.org
1801 Mile High Stadium Circle, Suite 1500, Denver, CO 80204
Ph: 303-293-5711, Email: info@nscd.org
Founded in 1970, the National Sports Center for the Disabled's mission is to positively impact the lives of people with any physical or mental challenge through quality adaptive recreation programs in over 20 sports.

National Disability Sports Alliance
25 West Independence Way, Kingston, RI 02881
Ph: 401-792-7130, Email: info@ndsaonline.org
National Disability Sports Alliance is the national coordinating body for competitive sports for individuals with cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injuries and survivors of stroke.

National Wheelchair Basketball Association
www.nwba.org
1130 Elkton Street, Suite C, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80907
Ph: 719-266-4082, Email: toddhatfield@nwba.org
National Wheelchair Basketball Association is comprised of 181 basketball teams within twenty-two conferences and today consists of men's, women's, intercollegiate, and youth teams throughout the U.S. and Canada.

National Wheelchair Poolplayers Association
9757 Mount Lompoc Ct., Las Vegas, NV 89178
Ph: 703-817-1215 Email: jdolezal@verizon.net Web: nwpainc.org
Established in 1994. the National Wheelchair Poolplayers Aossciation is the sanctioning body of all organized wheelchair billiards.

National Wheelchair Softball Association
13414 Paul Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68154
Ph: 402-305-5020 Email: bfroendt@cox.net
National Wheelchair Softball Association serves as the governing body for wheelchair softball in the United States. The game is played under the official rules of the 16-inch slow pitch softball as approved by the Amateur Softball Association of America with some exceptions geared toward the wheelchair user.

New South Wales Wheelchair Sports Association
PO Box 3244, Putney NSW 2112 , Australia
Ph: 02-9809-5260, Email: nswwsa@nswwsa.org.au
New South Wales Wheelchair Sports Association is the largest disability sporting group in Australia and conducts a wide and diverse range of wheelchair sports activities and programs catering to the novice to the elite paralympian.

Norwegian Sports Organization for the Disabled
Serviceboks 1, Ullevål stadion, 0840 Oslo, Norway
Ph: 47-21-02-90-00, Email: funksjh@nif.idrett.no 
Norwegian Sports Organization for the disabled is sports association for physically disabled, visually impaired, deaf and mentally handicapped.

Ontario Wheelchair Sports Association
ontwheelchairsports.org
02-1185 Eglinton Ave. E., Toronto, Ontario M3C 3C6, Canada
Ph: 416-426-7189, Email: info@ontwheelchairsports.org
Ontario Wheelchair Sports Association develops and supports opportunities for all members to participate in the association's wheelchair sports activities to the best of their ability.

ParaSport Ontario
www.parasportontario.ca
3 Concorde Gate, Suite 104, Toronto, Ontario M3C 3N7, Canada
Ph: 800-265-1539, Email: info@parasportontario.ca 
Paralympics Ontario provides leadership, resources, and opportunities for persons with a disability in the Ontario sport and recreation community.

Physically Challenged Bowhunters of America
www.physicallychallengedbowhuntersofamerica-inc.orgPh: 855-247-7222
The PCBA assists physically disabled persons with actively participating in bowhunting and archery. A major emphasis is placed on reaching people with disabilities who have never been exposed to these sports.

Power Football Canada
www.powerfootballcanada.com, Email:  claude.guilbault.hsj@ssss.gouv.qc.ca
Powerchair Football Canada develops the sport of power wheelchair soccer on an international level.

Quebec Wheelchair Sports Association
4545 Pierre-De Coubertin, C.P. 1000, Succ. M, Montréal, Québec, Canada, H1V 3R2
Ph: 514-252-3108, Email: aqsfr@aqsfr.qc.ca 
Quebec Wheelchair Association is the governance group for wheelchair sports activities in Quebec.

United States Electric Wheelchair Hockey Association
www.powerhockey.com
216 39th Avenue North, Minneapolis, MN 55427
Ph: 763-535-4736 Email: info@powerhockey.com
U.S. EWHA is dedicated to promoting the sport of Power Hockey for persons who require the use of an electric (power) wheelchair in daily life.

Wheelchair Race Series-British Columbia 
www.wcraceseries.com
#224-1367 W. Broadway, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V6H 4A9
Ph: 877-737-3090, Email: info@wcraceseries.com 
Wheelchair Race Series promotes the sport of wheelchair racing in British Columbia's lower mainland region and throughout the province.

Wheelchair Sports Alberta
11759 Groat Road NW, Edmonton, Alberta, T5M 3K6, Canada
Ph: 750-427-8699, Email: wsa1@telusplanet.net 
Wheelchair Sports Alberta is the governing body for wheelchair sports in Alberta.

Wheelchair Sports South Australia
75185 Folland Avenue, Northgate, SA 5085, Australia
Ph: 08-8349-6366, Email: wheelcs@senet.com.au
Wheelchair Sports South Australia is dedicated to serving those with spinal impairment, amputation or classifiable disability by providingh the maximum opportunity to participate in wheelchair sports activities and recreation.

Wheelchair Sports Victoria – Australia
www.wsv.org.au
341 George Street, Fitzroy, VIC 3065 Australia
Ph: 03-9473-0133, Email: info@dsr.org.au
Wheelchair Sports Victoria is a club for people in wheelchairs and offer extensive opporunities for competitive sports.

Wheelchair Sports, USA
P.O. Box 5266, Kendall Park, NJ 08824 
Ph: 732-266-2634, Email: wsusa@aol.com
Dedicated to the guidance and growth of wheelchair sports.

World Para Powerlifting
Adenauerallee 212-214, 53113 Bonn, Germany
Ph: +49-228-2097-200, Email: info@WorldParaPowerlifting.org
WorldParaPowerlifting.org
World Para Powerlifting, under the governance of the International Paralympic Committee, acts as the international federation for the sport. Open to male and female athletes with eight eligible physical impairments, athletes compete in one sport class across 10 different weight categories per gender.

World T.E.A.M. Sports
www.worldteamsports.org
4250 Veterans Memorial Hwy, Suite 420, Holbrook, NY 11741
Ph: 855-987-8326, Email: info@worldteamsports.org
World T.E.A.M. Sports brings individuals with and without disabilities together to undertake unique athletic events throughout the world to encourage, promote, and develop opportunities in sports for all people.

World Wheelchair Sports
3553 George Court, Eugene, OR 97401
Ph: 541-485-1860, Email: wscoach@efn.org 
World Wheelchair Sports provides recreational wheelchair sports activities for people with mobility impairments.


If you have suggestions for additional resources on wheelchair sports activities, fitness and recreation, please click here to send an email.

Related Information - Wheelchair Sports Activities

Wheelchair Racing
Wheelchair Golf - Adaptive Golf
History of the Paralympic Games
Extreme Wheelchair Sports
Wheelchair Basketball Rules
Wheelchair Football
Wheelchair Soccer
World Wheelchair Sports Organization
Wheelchair Dancing
Wheelchair Aviators
Wheelchair Rugby
Sports Wheel Chairs
Wheelchair Accessible Hunting
Paralympic Games
Wheel Chair Curling
Wheelchair Tai Chi Chuan
Wheelchair Fencing
Wheelchair Exercise Programs
Wheelchair Exercise Equipment
Adaptive Snowmobiling 
Adaptive Surfing



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