Guangzhou, September 8 - Passing, shooting and rebounding...it was not an ordinary basketball game but an exciting Wheelchair Basketball game organised by the Guangzhou Asian Para Games Organising Committee (GAPGOC) to promote the December 12-19 Asian Para Games in the city on Tuesday.

At the event

Officiating guests

The game starts.

Players at the game

A group photo is taken.

A student experiences Wheelchair Basketball.

Xie Xile, Vice President of Guangdong Disabled Persons' Federation, announced the start of the Tuesday event which was held at Guangzhou No. 113 Middle School.

Officiating guests at the event were officials from Guangdong Disabled Persons' Federation, Bureau of Education of Guangzhou Municipality, Guangzhou Disabled Persons' Federation, Secretariat of GAPGOC, Bureau of Education of Tianhe District Guangzhou and Disabled Persons' Federation of Tianhe District Guangzhou.

The 2010 Asian Para Games will feature 19 sports, including 17 Paralympic sports and two non-Paralympic sports, and Wheelchair Basketball is one of the 17 Paralympic sports.

It was learned from the event that Wheelchair Basketball was originally developed in the USA. Wheelchair Basketball has grown greatly in recent years in China with the group effort of coaches and athletes and tried to catch up on the international sporting level.

In order to play Wheelchair Basketball, a player must have a permanent physical disability in the lower limb/s.

It was indeed a stirring game which earned a huge round of applause. Players were able to maintain control of wheelchairs skillfully and moved freely and swiftly at the basketball arena, passing, dribbling the ball, rebounding and shooting.

Hurray! Spectators cheered as players made three-pointers again and again.

(Zhu Runfang) (The End)