Influence of intellectual impairment (II) on basketball players´ capacity to solve a game situation: towards evidence-based classification systems in II-basketball

Basketball for athletes with intellectual impairment (II) requires the development of evidence-based eligibility systems to guarantee that only athletes with significant limitations performing basketball participate in these competitions. In addition, this is needed to re-include IIbasketball in the Paralympic program. To do this, it is required to investigate how II impacts on fundamental basketball activities. To address this need, the aim of this study was to compare ablebodied (AB) and II-players´ capacity to solve a game situation. A field test was designed ad hoc in which 38 elite II-players from France, Portugal, Australia and Japan who participated in the Global Games (2015) and 38 AB-basketball players competing in Spanish competitions, had to solve 8 standardized game situations. Results indicated that II-players spent significantly (p≤0.05) more time to decide (0.92±0.2s) than AB-players (0.63±0.1s) and to execute the solution (II: 3.01±0.4s; AB: 2.56±0.3s). Also, II-players made more rule infractions (II: 7.11±1.4; AB: 7.71±0.7), more feints (II: 1.37±1.4; AB: 0.3±0.6), more dribbles (II: 15.08±3.9; AB: 12.29±2.3) and they performed less successful solutions (II: 4.42±1.5; AB: 5.39±1.3). However, no differences were found in number of correct decisions made. Decision time, number of dribbles and situations in which they succeeded were the variables that best discriminated between II and AB-players. These results confirmed the negative influence of II on players´ capacity to solve a basketball game situation. The calculated discriminant function let us establish the minimum scores from this test that indicates significant limitations on the capacity to solve a game situation. These scores are applicable to determine eligibility criteria in IIbasketball worldwide.Influencia de la discapacidad intelectual (DI) en la capacidad de los jugadores de baloncesto para resolver una situación de juego: hacia los sistemas de clasificación basados en la evidencia en baloncesto-DIRESUMEN: El baloncesto para personas con discapacidad intelectual (DI) requiere del desarrollo de sistemas de elegibilidad basados en la evidencia que garanticen la participación en estas competiciones únicamente de deportistas con limitaciones significativas para practicar baloncesto. Además, esto es necesario para re incluir el baloncesto-DI en el programa Paralímpico. Para hacer esto, es necesario investigar cómo la DI impacta sobre las actividades fundamentales del baloncesto. Pa