Table Tennis

Table tennis is a highly popular sport among wheelchair users due to its ease of play and immediate participation without specialized equipment. Athlete's can play using their everyday wheelchair and does not generally need much modification for recreational play.
Wheelchair users can very easily integrate into the able-bodied game for fun and recreation. Currently, some Irish squad members play in able-bodied leagues and events with no problems.
Classification for table tennis is divided into two groups; wheelchair and standing. Wheelchair users start at class 1 which is generally for quads and moving up to class 5 which is the most agile wheelchair classes. Classes 6 through 10 are for standing.
The rules of wheelchair table tennis are generally identical to the able-bodied game with a few exceptions. In the wheelchair game a serve must travel off the end of the table to be a legal serve, except in doubles.
Most players generally use their everyday wheelchair to play. Elite athletes may have a separate table tennis wheelchair, or have some equipment to modify their current wheelchair while playing, these could be wheel locks to stop front wheels turning, or booster cushions to give players more height.

One of the few sports where both able-bodied and wheelchair competitors have been known to compete against each other, tabletennis is a discipline steeped in history within IWA.

Table Tennis

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