Sports scientists at Loughborough University of Technology are preparing to add surfing to a list of wheelchair sports - but on the global computer network known as the World Wide Web (WWW), rather than on the ocean.

WheelBase, developed over the past 18 months by Dr Trevor Williams and Bill Butler, of the Department of PE, Sports Science and Recreation Management, and sponsored by the British Wheelchair Sports Foundation, is a comprehensive source of information on 17 wheelchair sports. The project now has its own WWW pages, enabling anybody in the world using the network to browse through its information. WheelBase can also be contacted by telephone, fax, electronic mail or ordinary mail.

At present, WheelBase covers Archery, Athletics (field), Athletics (racing), Basketball, Bowls, Fencing, Racquetball, Rugby, Sailing, Shooting, Sledge Hockey, Snooker, Skiing, Swimming, Table-tennis, Tennis and Weightlifting. Enquirers can find out just what each sport involves, obtain contacts for the sport in the UK and discover details of worldwide research which has been conducted into the sport. The information is produced in a collaboration between each sport and the Loughborough National Sports Development Centre.

Trevor Williams explained that, "Our plan is to collect, store and disseminate information on all aspects of wheelchair sports in order to support and promote participation, performance and excellence. We expect that the information will be of interest to lots of people - wheelchair athletes and their coaches, people with disabilities who would like to take part in wheelchair sports but aren't sure where to start, university researchers and students, physical education teachers with pupils with disabilities, physiotherapists in spinal injury units, and of course computer users who just want to have a look at something a bit different on the Web."

For further information, please contact Trevor Williams or Bill Butler on (01509) 223497, e-mail Wheel Power lut.ac.uk

University of Technology, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LEl 1 3TU;

the URL (World Wide Web address) is http :1/info. lut. ac. uk/research/p- dlwheelsport. html.

For further information, please contact Trevor Williams or Bill Butler on (01509) 223497, e-mail Wheel Power@ lut.ac.uk or Liz Howarth, Communications and Publicity Office, (01509) 222231, e-mail e.a.howarth@lut.ac.uk.

WheelBase may be contacted by telephone or fax on (01509) 223497; by e-mail as

WheelPower@lut.ac.uk; through the post at WheelPower Information Project,

Department of PE, Sports Science and Recreation Management, Loughborough University of Technology, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LEl 1 3TU; and the URL(World Wide Web address) is http :1/info. lut. ac. uklresearch/p- dlwheelsport. html.