Wheelchair rugby players maintain sprint performance but alter propulsion biomechanics after simulated match play.

The study aimed to explore the influence of a sports-specific intermittent sprint protocol (ISP) on wheelchair sprint performance and the kinetics and kinematics of sprinting in elite wheelchair rugby (WR) players with and without spinal cord injury (SCI). Fifteen international WR players (age 30.3 ± 5.

Data-Driven Smart Living Lab to Promote Participation in Rehabilitation Exercises and Sports Programs for People with Disabilities in Local Communities.

Patients discharged from hospitals after an inpatient course of medical treatment for any ailment or traumatic injury that results in disabling conditions and are rendered mobility impaired require ongoing systematic sports and exercise programs to maintain healthy lifestyles. Under such circumstances, a rehabilitation exercise and sports center, accessible throughout local communities, is critical for promoting beneficial living and community participation for these individuals with disabilities. An innovative data-driven system equipped with state-of-the-art smart and digital equipment, set up in architecturally barrier-free infrastructures, is essential for these individuals to promote health maintenance and overcome secondary medical complications following an acute inpatient hospitalization or suboptimal rehabilitation.

Passive drag in Para swimmers with physical impairments: Implications for evidence-based classification in Para swimming.

The inherent hydrodynamic resistance force, or passive drag, of a swimmer directly influences how they move through the water. For swimmers with physical impairments, the strength of association between passive drag and swimming performance is unknown. Knowledge on this factor could improve the World Para Swimming classification process.

Active Drag as a Criterion for Evidence-based Classification in Para Swimming.

Introduction: Paralympic classification should provide athletes with an equitable starting point for competition by minimizing the impact their impairment has on the outcome of the event. As swimming is an event conducted in water, the ability to overcome drag (active and passive) is an important performance determinant. It is plausible that the ability to do this is affected by the type and severity of the physical impairment, but the current World Para Swimming classification system does not objectively account for this component.

London 2012 Paralympic swimming: passive drag and the classification system.

Background: The key difference between the Olympic and Paralympic Games is the use of classification systems within Paralympic sports to provide a fair competition for athletes with a range of physical disabilities. In 2009, the International Paralympic Committee mandated the development of new, evidence-based classification systems. This study aims to assess objectively the swimming classification system by determining the relationship between passive drag and level of swimming-specific impairment, as defined by the current swimming class.