Trace the development of one major sport for people with a physical disability from an historical perspective and give a succinct analysis of the fitness requirements for this sport.

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Trace the development of one major sport for people with a physical disability from an historical perspective and give a succinct analysis of the fitness requirements for this sport.

It is only in recent years that organised sport has been available for people with physical disabilities.  In fact it was the two World Wars that brought about the first major change in attitude towards disabled people and sport.  Due to the amount of soldiers who had lost limb’s etc in the Wars, the amount of physically disabled people in Britain dramatically rose in the latter half of the 20th Century.  Increases in life expectancy for disabled people also improved during this period which meant many had to learn adaptive lifestyles, increasing the need for some kind of disabled physical activity.    

The main drive behind disabled sport came from Stoke Mandeville hospital founded by the neurologist, “Sir Ludwig Guttmann in 1944, often considered the father of wheelchair sports” (Winnick, J. 1990).  Sir Ludwig Guttmann believed sport was a vital part in establishing rehabilitation and adapted lifestyles for the permanently disabled.  In 1948 the first sports competition for the disabled was held at Stoke Mandeville, it consisted of 14 ex-service personnel competing in an archery competition.  The Stoke Mandeville games became international in 1952 when a team entered from Holland and eventually became an annual event for the spinally injured.  Sir Ludwig Guttmann also founded the British Sports Association for the Disabled in 1961, later to be restructured and become Disability Sport England.  

Since then sport for disabled people has become ever more accessible and now in modern times, events like the Paralympics, first held in 1960, are a symbol of how much disabled sport has improved since the early 1900’s.  Organisations like Disability Sport England (DSE), founded in 1997, have also been important in allowing the development of disabled sports like wheelchair Tennis and Rugby and at current; the DSE has over 40,000 members.    

Wheelchair Rugby, or Quad Rugby as it is known in America, is a good example of how sport can be adapted to fit the needs of those with disabilities.  Wheelchair Rugby originated in Winnipeg, Canada, in the mid 1970’s.  Its inventors were three students studying at the University of Manitoba who had become quadriplegics as a result of spinal injuries.  The game is based on components from wheelchair hockey and was intended as a rehabilitation exercise for those who could not play wheelchair Basketball.  

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In the games first years there were few rules so body contact and falling out of chairs was common place, hence the original name for wheelchair Rugby, Murderball.  As Murderball evolved, new rules regarding body contact and standardised timing vastly changed the game and increased its appeal.  The sport got its first real break when a team from Winnipeg, Canada, organised an exhibition match at the University of Minnesota’s regional track meet.  The sport proved popular and Canada held its first national championships later that year.

As its popularity grew, so did its international appeal and it was eventually ...

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