Wheelchair basketball

Wheelchair basketball is basketball played by people in wheelchairs and is considered one of the major disabled sports practiced. The International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) is the governing body for this sport. It is recognized by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) as the sole competent authority in wheelchair basketball world wide. FIBA has recognized IWBF under Article 53 of its General Statutes.

The IWBF has 82 National Organizations for Wheelchair Basketball (NOWBs) actively participating in wheelchair basketball throughout the world with this number increasing each year. It is estimated that more than 100,000 people play wheelchair basketball from recreation to club play and as elite national team members. Wheelchair basketball is played by boys, girls, men and women.

Wheelchair basketball sees tremendous competition and interest on the international level. Wheelchair basketball is included in the Paralympic Games. The Wheelchair Basketball World Championship is organized two years after every Paralympic Games. Major competition in wheelchair basketball comes from Canada, Australia, the United States, Great Britain, the Netherlands, and Japan.

Lord

Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others acting like a master, a chief, or a ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are entitled to courtesy titles. The collective "Lords" can refer to a group or body of peers.

Etymology

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, the etymology of the word can be traced back to the Old English word hlāford which originated from hlāfweard meaning "loaf-ward" or "bread keeper", reflecting the Germanic tribal custom of a chieftain providing food for his followers. The appellation "lord" is primarily applied to men, while for women the appellation "lady" is used. However, this is no longer universal: the Lord of Mann, a title currently held by the Queen of the United Kingdom, and female Lord Mayors are examples of women who are styled Lord.

Historical usage

Feudalism

Under the feudal system, "lord" had a wide, loose and varied meaning. An overlord was a person from whom a landholding or a manor was held by a mesne lord or vassal under various forms of feudal land tenure. The modern term "landlord" is a vestigial survival of this function. A liege lord was a person to whom a vassal owed sworn allegiance. Neither of these terms were titular dignities, but rather factual appellations, which described the relationship between two or more persons within the highly stratified feudal social system. For example, a man might be Lord of the Manor to his own tenants but also a vassal of his own overlord, who in turn was a vassal of the King. Where a knight was a lord of the manor, he was referred to in contemporary documents as "John (Surname), knight, lord of (manor name)". A feudal baron was a true titular dignity, with the right to attend Parliament, but a feudal baron, Lord of the Manor of many manors, was a vassal of the King.

University of Worcester

The University of Worcester is a British public university, based in Worcester, England. With a history dating back to 1946, the institution was granted university status in September 2005. Worcester is the only university serving the English counties of Worcestershire and Herefordshire. The University of Worcester is well known for its teaching degrees, and was one the most improved Universities for research in the Research Excellence Framework 2014, climbing 32 places in the Research Fortnight rankings. Researchers at Worcester were recognised as carrying out world-leading work in History, Art and Design, Health, Education, Biological Science, Psychology, Sport, Geography, Archaeology & Environmental Studies, and English Language & Literature.

History

Lord's Taverners

The Lord’s Taverners (registered charity no. 306054) is the official charity for recreational cricket and the UK’s leading youth cricket and disability sports charity. Its charitable objective is to 'give young people a sporting chance'.

The Lord’s Taverners was founded in 1950 by a group of actors, led by founding Chairman and member No.1 Martin Boddey, with key figures such as John Mills, Jack Hawkins and John Snagge who used to enjoy watching cricket from the Tavern pub at Lord's Cricket Ground.

The Lord's Taverners have their headquarters in London, with the support of over 50 regions. The Lord’s Taverners also benefits from the fundraising activities of The Lady Taverners, Regional Committees and its 5,000 Members, many of them drawn from the world of sport and entertainment. The list includes Sir Michael Parkinson, Alastair Cook, Andrew Strauss, Greg James, Miles Jupp, Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson, Jonathan Agnew and Mike Gatting.

History

In the week following the West Indies famous victory over England in the second Test Match at Lord's in 1950, the Lord's Taverners was formed. Initially, money raised each year was given to the National Playing Fields Association (whom the Taverners still support) on the recommendation of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, Patron and 'Twelfth Man' of The Lord’s Taverners.