PHOTOS – Parapan Am Wheelchair Basketball

The Parapan Games have been taking place in Toronto during the last two weeks. I attended a morning of wheelchair basketball at the Ryerson Athletic Centre.Women's matches between Peru-Guatemala, El Salvador-Mexico and the Argentine men versus Colombia were featured.It is important to note that the court size and basket height are identical to the Pan Am Games. The athletes demonstrated remarkable upper body strength and agility. The pace of play was rapid. Overturned wheelchairs occurred roughly every ten minutes, but in the majority of cases, the athlete was able to get upright without help! Baskets were typically scored from further away, as getting close to the basket was not as easy in wheelchairs. Shots from the foul line were relatively uncommon in comparison to the regular game. The players were remarkably adept at picking up rolling balls. I wondered whether the basketballs used were somewhat sticky, but when one came my way, I could attest that they were not.