Wheelchair Rugby

8 teams compete for the prized gold medal place

Interestingly, wheelchair rugby was first developed in Canada and in 1970 and did not expand until 1981. Even after gaining international recognition it was not until 1993 that wheelchair rugby became recognised by a formal authority. Due to similarity to basketball it is played on the same court, it also uses exactly the same ball as volleyball showing that wheelchair rugby is largely an amalgamation of volleyball and basketball.

Due to the size of the court, only four players per team can be accommodated. Unlike the able-bodied version, physical contact is prohibited; however, it is accepted that there will be a degree of contact between the wheelchairs. As with traditional rugby the ultimate aim of the game is to get the ball over the line at the end of the court. Once play ends, the team with the most points is declared the winner. In the event of a tie the game will become longer and over time will be played until the deciding score is made.

Wheelchair rugby was relatively late to join the Paralympic games programme. It was a demonstration sport in 1996 during the Atlanta games and became a medal sport in Sydney 2000. Despite the strong roots in Canada the final game was played between Australia and the USA, with the USA winning by just one point.