Tackling wheelchair rugby

Originally called murderball, this unique sport combines elements of rugby, basketball and handball. Players compete in teams of four to carry the ball across the opposing team’s goal line. Contact between wheelchairs is permitted - and is in fact an integral part of the sport, as players use their chairs to block and hold opponents.

History of the sport

Wheelchair rugby was invented in 1977 in Winnipeg, Canada, by a group of quadriplegic athletes who were looking for an alternative to wheelchair basketball. They wanted a sport that would allow players, with reduced arm and hand function, to participate equally.

In 1993, with 15 countries participating in the sport, wheelchair rugby was recognised as an official international sport for athletes with a disability and the International Wheelchair Rugby Federation (IWRF) was founded. In 1996, wheelchair rugby was included as a demonstration sport in the Atlanta Paralympic Games before becoming a full medal sport four years later at the Sydney Games. Today, wheelchair rugby is played at an elite level in 20 countries across the globe.

Things you may not know about wheelchair rugby

There are no separate teams for men and women’s competitions, as men and women are classified equal and compete on the same team.

To be eligible to play wheelchair rugby, athletes must have a disability that affects both the arms and legs. Athletes must also be physically capable of propelling a manual wheelchair with their arms. The majority of wheelchair rugby players have spinal cord injuries, which have resulted in full or partial paralysis of the legs and partial paralysis of the arms. Other disability groups represented include polio, cerebral palsy, some forms of muscular dystrophy, dysmelia, amputations, and other neurological conditions, such as Guillain-Barre Syndrome.

It is easier to play in a lightweight sports-type wheelchair, but beginners to the sport tend to play in a manual wheelchair adapted from wheelchair basketball.

Handling the ball within the rules of International Wheelchair Rugby is extremely important to high-performance athletes. All athletes competing in wheelchair rugby have impaired hand function and make use of specifically designed gloves and glue to assist with wheelchair propulsion and ball handling. A wheelchair rugby team will use up to 5,500 gloves per year!

Wheelchair rugby balls

are specifically engineered and have a foam soft outer layer, assisting athletes with control and ball handling during the game.

The game of wheelchair rugby is constantly adapting and improving with the implementation of new rules and laws, the strides in the athlete’s ability, and new equipment designs, all of which have a major impact on how the game is played across the globe.

How wheelchair rugby assists the greater community

Fortunately, it's common for people with a disability, from grass-roots to elite levels, to participate in sport and physical activity nowadays. Unfortunately, this is not the case in all parts of the world. Whilst there has been progressive and positive change in the quality of life for people with disabilities in many developed countries, this is not reflected in developing countries, including South Africa.

Any physical activity has a key part to play in improving general health and well-being, and the South African Wheelchair Rugby (SA WCR), in the development of wheelchair rugby in South Africa, agrees it has an integral part to play in ensuring successful national team participation at all international competitions.

“People with a disability in developing countries have major barriers to overcome, and I firmly believe that sport does assist in promoting programmes of conflict resolution and reconciliation between sharply divided communities, and aides in achieving common goals,” states Clyde Holland, chairman of SAWCR.