1. Improvement of the Classification System for Wheelchair Rugby: Athlete Priorities
- Author
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Anne L. Hart, Viola C. Altmann, Yves Vanlandewijck, and Jacques van Limbeek
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,Population ,Football ,Poison control ,Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation ,Cerebral palsy ,Physical medicine and rehabilitation ,Wheelchair ,Surveys and Questionnaires ,Injury prevention ,medicine ,Humans ,education ,education.field_of_study ,biology ,Athletes ,medicine.disease ,biology.organism_classification ,Trunk ,Cross-Sectional Studies ,Wheelchairs ,Physical therapy ,Nervous System Diseases ,Psychology - Abstract
A representative sample (N = 302) of the wheelchair rugby population responded to a survey about the classification system based on prioritized items by International Wheelchair Rugby Federation members. Respondents stated, "The classification system is accurate but needs adjustments" (56%), "Any athlete with tetraequivalent impairment should be allowed to compete" (72%), "Athletes with cerebral palsy and other coordination impairments should be classified with a system different than the current one" (75%), and "The maximal value for trunk should be increased from 1.0 to 1.5" (67%). A minority stated, "Wheelchair rugby should only be open to spinal cord injury and other neurological conditions" (36%) and "There should be a 4.0 class" (33%). Results strongly indicated that athletes and stakeholders want adjustments to the classification system in two areas: a focus on evaluation of athletes with impairments other than loss of muscle power caused by spinal cord injury and changes in classification of trunk impairment.
- Published
- 2014
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