Power Wheels: Wheelchair Basketball

パワー・ウィールズ：車いすバスケットボール

2026.03.11

Writer / 記事を書いた人

Katie: United States of America （アメリカ合衆国）

Hi, my name is Katie and I am from Chicago, USA. I play wadaiko and I enjoy reading books.

Article

記事

Power Wheels: Wheelchair Basketball

パワー・ウィールズ：車いすバスケットボール

▼ 記事の音声を再生

＜Let's learn!＞
・… is one of the
・not only A but also B
・focus on …
・win an award

=====================================

Basketball is one of the most popular and exciting sports in the world. More Japanese fans are being inspired by new players every year. The First Slam Dunk was the best Japanese anime box office hit movie in 2023 as well. Did you know that basketball can also be played in a wheelchair?

Wheelchair basketball started in the US after World War Ⅱ. It was a rehabilitation activity for soldiers recovering after the war. In 1956, it was one of the first sports made for wheelchair users. Today, it is the most popular wheelchair sport for many wheelchair users around the world. Why? One reason is that many athletes of different disability levels can participate and build good teamwork and social skills.

“Win and enjoy yourself” is the motto of the wheelchair basketball club called Tokyo Fighters. This motto is liked by some Japanese athletes and fans because of its meaning: “to be a winning athlete but also to focus on having fun playing the sport.” This motto can be a motivation for everyone, both able bodied and wheelchair athletes.

Inoue Takahiko, the manga artist of Slam Dunk, also created a wheelchair basketball manga called Real. This showed the sport to manga readers. The manga won an award for talking about some of the victories and challenges the team members experience.

Wheelchair basketball was popular at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. Trevon Jenifer, one of the Team USA players, helped the team win the gold medal. It was the first time for the team to win a gold medal at the Olympic level. Other athletes like Chokai Renshi and Amimoto Mari also helped bring more attention to the sport. The power of sport continues. The future of wheelchair basketball is very bright.

※桐原書店発行 Heartening English Communication I New Editionとのコラボレーション記事のため、日本語訳を掲載しません。

Key Points

キーポイント

Repeat each word(s) and example sentence(s) after your teacher/tutor.

先生の後に続いて、各フレーズ、単語、例文を言ってみましょう。自習の場合はスピーカーボタンを押して聞いてみましょう。

Key Phrases 重要表現

…is one of the: …のうちの一つ、…の一人

Sushi is one of the most popular Japanese foods for tourists.

寿司は観光客にとって最も人気のある日本食の一つです。

(not only) A but also B: AだけでなくBもまた

He plays not only basketball but also tennis.

彼はバスケットボールだけでなくテニスもまたプレーします。

focus on …: …に焦点を合わせる、…に集中する

Students focus on reading the textbook.

生徒たちは教科書を読むことに集中します。

win an award: 受賞する、賞を勝ち取る

Our school band won an award.

私たちの学校のバンドは賞を受賞しました。

Key Vocabulary 重要単語・熟語

inspire

ɪnˈspaɪr

刺激を与える、奮い立たせる、鼓舞する

動詞

to make someone feel that they want to do something and can do it

Many local artists are inspired by beautiful nature.

多くの地元の芸術家たちが美しい自然によって刺激を受けています。

rehabilitation

riː.həˌbɪl.əˈteɪ.ʃən

リハビリテーション、社会復帰、名誉回復

名詞

the process of returning to a healthy or good way of life, or the process of helping someone to do this after they have been in prison, been very ill, etc

It was a rehabilitation exercise for athletes.

それはアスリートのためのリハビリテーション運動でした。

soldier

sˈəʊldʒə

軍人、兵士

名詞

a person who is in an army and wears its uniform, especially someone who fights when there is a war

He built a new room for soldiers.

彼は兵士たちのために新しい部屋を建てました。

recover

rɪˈkʌv.ɚ

回復する、取り戻す

動詞

to become completely well again after an illness or injury

She cooked soup for her children recovering after the cold.

彼女は風邪の後に回復しつつある子どもたちのためにスープを作りました。

disability

ˌdɪs.əˈbɪl.ə.t̬i

身体障害、障害

名詞

an illness, injury, or condition that makes it difficult for someone to do the things that other people do

Patients of different disability levels can participate in the music event.

異なる障害レベルの患者たちが、その音楽イベントに参加できます。

motto

ˈmɑː.t̬oʊ

座右の銘、標語、モットー

名詞

a short sentence or phrase that expresses a belief or purpose

"Study hard and play hard" is the motto of our school.

「よく学び、よく遊べ」が、私たちの学校の座右の銘です。

Others その他

box office

ˈbɑːks ˌɑː.fɪs

興行収入

名詞

money from ticket sales, used as a way of measuring the success of a performer, film, or public event

The new action film was the biggest summer box office hit movie this year.

その新しいアクション映画は、今年最大の夏の興行成績大ヒット映画でした。

able bodied

ˌeɪ.bəlˈbɑː.did

身体障害のない、頑健な

形容詞

people who are healthy and have no illness, injury, or condition that makes it difficult to do the things that other people do

The race is open to both able-bodied and blind runners.

そのレースは、健常なランナーと目の見えないランナーの両方に開かれています。

Paralympics

ˌper.əˈlɪm.pɪks

パラリンピック

名詞

an international sports competition for people with physical disabilities, that happens every four years immediately after the Olympics.

The swimmer broke a world record at the last Paralympics.

その競泳選手は、前回のパラリンピックで世界記録を更新しました。

Practice

練習

Fill in the blanks to complete the sentence.

空欄を埋めて文章を完成させましょう。

Soccer (___)(___)(___)(___) most famous sports in Europe.

サッカーはヨーロッパで最も有名なスポーツの一つです。

ヒント：… is one of the

回答を見る: Soccer (is)(one)(of)(the) most famous sports in Europe.

I am studying English (___)(___) to pass the test, (___)(___) to make new friends.

私はテストに合格するためだけでなく、新しい友達を作るためにも英語を勉強しています。

ヒント：not only A but also B

回答を見る: I am studying English (not)(only) to pass the test, (but)(also) to make new friends.

You need to (___)(___) studying your weak subjects.

あなたは苦手な科目を勉強することに集中する必要があります。

ヒント：focus on …

回答を見る: You need to (focus)(on) studying your weak subjects.

Great documentary movies often (___)(___)(___) for showing beautiful nature.

素晴らしいドキュメンタリー映画は、美しい自然を見せることでよく賞を受賞します。

ヒント：win an award

回答を見る: Great documentary movies often (win)(an)(award) for showing beautiful nature.

Article

記事（英文のみ）

Read the article aloud on your own or repeat each paragraph after your teacher/tutor.

記事を自分で読む、または先生に続いて段落毎に読んでみましょう。

Power Wheels: Wheelchair Basketball

※桐原書店発行 Heartening English Communication I New Editionとのコラボレーション記事のため、日本語訳を掲載しません。

Questions

質問

Answer the questions based on the article.

記事の内容から質問に回答しましょう。

When and where did wheelchair basketball start?

車いすバスケットボールはいつ、どこで始まりましたか？

ヒント：Wheelchair basketball started ～

回答を見る: It started in the US after World War Ⅱ.

Why is wheelchair basketball popular for many people?

なぜ車いすバスケットボールは多くの人々にとって人気があるのですか？

ヒント：One reason is that ～

回答を見る: Because many athletes of different disability levels can participate and build good teamwork and social skills.

Does the motto of Tokyo Fighters mean "Winning is the only important thing"?

東京ファイターズの座右の銘は、「勝つことだけが重要だ」という意味ですか？

ヒント：This motto is ～

回答を見る: No, it doesn't.

Discussion

ディスカッション

Let’s have a discussion about the theme with your teacher/tutor or classmates.

先生やクラスメートとテーマについて話し合いましょう。

With your teacher/tutor　先生とのディスカッション

If you have a chance to try wheelchair basketball at school, do you want to try it? Why or why not?

もし学校で車いすバスケットボールに挑戦する機会があったら、やってみたいですか？なぜですかまたは、なぜそうではないのですか？

Yes, I do./ No, I don't. Because ～.

The Tokyo Fighters' motto is "Win and enjoy yourself." What is your motto when you play sports?

東京ファイターズの座右の銘は「勝つこと、そして楽しむこと」です。あなたがスポーツをする時の座右の銘は何ですか？

My motto is ～.

Wheelchair basketball can be played by both able-bodied and disabled people. What other sports or activities do you think everyone can enjoy together?

車いすバスケットボールは、健常者と障害者の両方がプレーすることができます。他にどんなスポーツやアクティビティなら、誰もが一緒に楽しめると思いますか？

I think everyone can enjoy ～.