The wheelchair basketball team of YU was established in September 30th, 2008. The team's name is Chunma SPE (Special Physical Education). Chunma SPE was created as an organization at the university for the first time and its purpose is to revitalize wheel chair basketball. Chunma SPE will hold friendship games in order to reduce the boundaries between disabled and non-disabled. They will hold a wheelchair basketball class and experience events in wheelchair basketball for the citizens. 8 players who major in Special Physical Education not only will be wheelchair basketball players, but also will be teach a basketball class. However, wheelchair basketball has many difficult rules and it requires great skill in order to handle the wheelchair well. Every Tuesday and Friday afternoon, they practice for 3 hours. Their goal is take part in the National Sports Games for the Disabled in the latter half of 2009.
Professor Ki-Yong Park (Special Physical Education, YU) who is the Chunma SPE leader said that they purchased wheelchairs and prepared private practice facilities with YU's active support. I hope that wheelchair basketball will not only be a rehabilitation sport for the disabled, but a social sport for our society.
Wheelchair basketball is a very hard sport. Because they deal with the wheelchair very well and know many difficult rules. However, we can better understand and empathize with the disabled through this opportunity. I hope many wheelchair basketball teams are established in many university, and that it will help popularize disabled sports.
