For Ishank Ahuja of Haryana, wheelchair basketball would have ranked as uncharted territory until late September 2015. However, two months later, he was rolling the wheels of his wheelchair at electrifying speed and putting everything into his efforts to basket the ball every time he grabbed it. Ishank’s spirit reflected how wheelchair basketball is gaining prominence as a disability sport in India.

Ishank got to know about the sport through the internet. Despite having no knowledge of the game, he ventured to try and understand the basics and then brought together some like-minded individuals to make a six-member wheelchair basketball team. The hard work they put into practicing and obtaining more information on the game resulted in the team’s participation in the national championship and, according to him, “gave us the hope that we can step out and do more.”

There were several partners behind the successful organization of the 2nd National Wheelchair Basketball Championship last December. They are: the Wheelchair Basketball Federation of India (WBFI), the Sports Authority of India (SAI), Government of India, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Teams from nine states – Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, and Uttar Pradesh – competed for the trophy. A special Women’s Championship was also held during this period to encourage the participation of women para athletes, with a total of four women teams (mixed teams from various states) competed in this category.

The Maharashtra team won the Championship, and the teams from Punjab and Tamil Nadu took the second and third positions respectively. The way wheelchair basketball as a sport has progressed is well reflected in how K. Nagi Reddy, Captain of the Maharashtra team, summed up his experience. “While last year there were just four good teams that we played against, this year we had nine teams fighting for the top position. We won the finals but it was far more competitive than last year.”

The motivation provided by the Championship, held for the first time in Chennai in 2014, is beyond description.Ajit Kumar Shukla, a visibly spirited former soldier and member of the team from Punjab, said his team would work harder next year and come back to win the championship. He went on to add, “…we are not disabled. Even today we are ready to serve our country through sports just the way we did when we were in Army.”

Expressing appreciation to everyone who contributed to making the championship a success, Mary Werntz, Head of the Regional Delegation of the ICRC in New Delhi underlined the significance of sports as a vehicle for social inclusion for people with disabilities and assured the WBFI of the continued support of the ICRC in its noble efforts to develop wheelchair basketball in the country.