Basketball was a different game in 1980 and so was the equipment
Wheelchair Basketball was a very different game in 1980, as the equipment and the athletes were still transitioning to the modern form of the sport. In this clip, the chair of an Australian player collapses and the foot plates come off when he takes a tumble – a far cry from the robust, light yet stable chairs of today. The equipment, however, didn’t stop the USA team, with its athleticism, size and experience, from giving Australia a drubbing, 87-36. The USA went on to win bronze and Australia had to wait until 1996 for its first medal finish.
Date: June 1980
Author: Video by permission of Don Worley, from the National Film and Sound Archive.
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