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August 2002
IWRF Rule Change Pertaining to Article
13, the Wheelchair
Art. 13 WHEELCHAIR Particular attention must be paid to the wheelchair, as it is considered to be part of the player. Contravention of the following rules will result in the chair being barred from the game until it complies with the specifications of this article. Due to the nature of the sport, the player is responsible for ensuring that the chair meets legal specification for the duration of the game. a) WIDTH: Maximum width of the chair: As the width of the chair is determined by the size of the player, there is no maximum width; however, the distance between push rims, at their widest point, must be the widest point of the chair. No part of the chair can extend further than the push rim. Bars and plates around the wheels will not be permitted. b) LENGTH: The length of the chair is measured from the front-most part of the back wheel to the front-most part of the chair. This measurement cannot exceed 46 cm. (See diagram B) Combined with the maximum diameter of the wheel (70 cm) the total length shall not exceed 116 cm. c) HEIGHT: The maximum height of the side seat rails from the floor, measured at the mid-point front to back and midpoint of the tubing, must be fifty‑three (53) cm. (See diagram B) d) WHEELS: The wheelchair shall have four wheels: i) - Two (2) Large Wheels at the back: - maximum diameter 70 cm. (See diagram A) - must be fitted with spoke guards, which protect the area contacted by another chair. - must each have one (1) hand rim ii) Two (2) Smaller Wheels at the front: - must be on separate axles - caster housings must be a minimum of twenty (20) cm. apart (centre to centre) - a caster housing (caster pot) cannot be positioned more than 2.5 cm wider than the lowest front part of the mainframe. e) ANTI-TIP DEVICES: Anti-tip devices attached to the rear of the chair are compulsory. -- If they are fixed in position, any part of the wheels cannot project past the rear wheels. If they are of the swivel caster type, then the housing cannot extend past the furthest point of the rear wheels. -- The maximum distance of the bottom of the anti-tip wheels from the floor is 2 cm. (See diagram B).
i) Tubing or solid rod used for the bumper of the chair must be rounded and have no edges or protrusions that could give a player an unfair mechanical advantage. All tubing should be bent on a bender and be consistently round in nature. The bend shall not cause the tube to wrinkle, flatten, or flare from an excessive bend. The tube/rod used must be a minimum of .635 cm or 6.35 mm or ¼ inch in diameter. All bends used in the construction of the bumper must have a minimum inside arc of 2 cm in diameter. Therefore, using these two requirements, the total minimum outside measurement, from edge to edge including the thickness of the tube/rod will be 3.27 cm. (See diagram C) Note: The minimum outside arc can only be achieved by using the minimum size tubing/rod. ii) The front-most part of the bumper, measured at the midpoint of the tubing/rod, must be exactly eleven (11) cm from the ground and span straight across. This measurement must be made with the front casters in a forward rolling position. iii) The minimum length of the bumper is 20 cm measured at the furthest outside edges. The maximum length of the bumper will vary but cannot extend more than 2 cm past the outside edge of each caster housing. (See diagram A) Note: The length of the bumper corresponds to the width of the chair. iv) Connections for the bumper to the main frame of the chair must include one on either side of the bumper, at the widest point. These side connections must be straight and cannot be made at less than 45° to the bumper and to the main frame, in the horizontal plane. (See diagram D) v) The bottom edge of the bumper cannot be any lower than 3 cm from the floor. The top edge cannot be any higher than 20 cm from the floor. (See diagram B) vi) The maximum forward projection of the bumper is 20 cm from the front-most part (outside) of the caster housing. (See diagram B) g) WINGS: The wing-type addition to the frame, to protect the space between the bumper and the back wheel, is permitted but must be uniformly 11 cm in height at all points of contact (as is the bumper). This applies to open-frame construction of wings ONLY. Wings that stop at the rear wheel and/or are welded at an angle to the frame must be within 1 cm. of the rear wheel. This 1 cm restriction does not apply to wings that are rounded and continue past the rear wheel to the frame. Any tubing/rod used to reinforce the wing must have a minimum diameter of .635 cm or 6.35 mm or ¼ inch like the bumper; but the diameter of the tube/rod used for the bumper and/or wing need not be the same. Like the bumper, the bottom edge of the wing cannot be any lower than 3 cm from the floor and the top edge cannot be any higher than 20 cm from the floor. (See diagram B) h) COMFORT AND SAFETY: i) All protrusions such as handles, push-bars, crossbars, hooks, etc., having an element of danger but judged acceptable by the officials, must however be safely padded. ii) Only one cushion, with a maximum thickness of ten (10) cm, is permitted on the seat of the chair. (Also see Art.16) iii) Padding between the knees is permitted. However, this padding must not protrude above the level of the knees. (Also see h - ii) above) iv) A strap or elastic must be attached firmly behind the calf if there exists the possibility of the feet slipping off the footrest. Strapping of the body to the chair is permitted. v) Steering devices, brakes, or gears are not permitted to help operate the chair. Any such equipment may remain on the chair if it is moved out of the way of normal operation and does not present any safety hazard to person or equipment. vi) Wheelchairs may be fitted with any device on the underside of the front end of the chair to prevent it from tipping too far forward. This modification can be lower than the 3 cm limit, and, cannot be the most forward part of the chair. However, any contact with this addition and the floor will be governed by the Physical Advantage rule (see Art. 50). This device cannot damage the floor in any way. vii) Tires that leave noticeable marks on the playing surface are not permitted. viii) No counter weights can be added to the chair. NOTE: A player may modify any part of his chair to improve his comfort or safety (ex: blocks added to the footrest. Any modifications must conform to safety and measurement norms and may not create any mechanical advantage in doing so. Any other modification required, for medical reasons is permitted. However, it must appear on the classification card, and it cannnot disadvantage or endanger an opponent. i) Innovative changes, that give a mechanical advantage and/or which do not fall within the present accepted norms (Art.13) of a Standard Chair, may not be made to the user’s chair without previous approval from the International Wheelchair Rugby Federation (IWRF). Any proposed changes must first be presented to and accepted by the Technical Commission of the IWRF, in writing. The IWRF recommends that a similar policy be applied nationally under the jurisdiction of the national body governing the sport.
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