Wheelchair rugby (originally murderball, and known as quad rugby in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
) is a team
sport
Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...
for
athletes with a disability. It is practised in over twenty-five countries around the world and is a summer
Paralympic
The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaire ...
sport.
The US name is based on the requirement that all wheelchair rugby players need to have disabilities that include at least some loss of function in at least three limbs. Although most have
spinal cord
The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular structure made up of nervous tissue, which extends from the medulla oblongata in the brainstem to the lumbar region of the vertebral column (backbone). The backbone encloses the central canal of the sp ...
injuries, players may also qualify through multiple
amputations
Amputation is the removal of a limb by trauma, medical illness, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on ind ...
, neurological disorders or other medical conditions. Players are assigned a functional level in points, and each team is limited to fielding a team with a total of eight points.
Wheelchair rugby is played indoors on a hardwood court, and physical contact between wheelchairs is an integral part of the game. The rules include elements from
wheelchair basketball
Wheelchair basketball is basketball played by people with varying physical disabilities that disqualify them from playing a non-disabled sport. These include spina bifida, birth defects, cerebral palsy, paralysis due to accident, amputations (of ...
,
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...
,
handball and
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...
.
The sport is governed by the
International Wheelchair Rugby Federation
World Wheelchair Rugby (WWR) is the international governing body for the sport of wheelchair rugby
Wheelchair rugby (originally murderball, and known as quad rugby in the United States) is a team sport for athletes with a disability. It is ...
(IWRF) which was established in 1993.
History
Wheelchair rugby was created to be a sport for persons with
quadriplegia in 1976 by five Canadian wheelchair athletes, Gerry Terwin,
Duncan Campbell, Randy Dueck, Paul LeJeune and Chris Sargent, in
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...
.
["History of Wheelchair Rugby"]
iwasf.com
At that time,
wheelchair basketball
Wheelchair basketball is basketball played by people with varying physical disabilities that disqualify them from playing a non-disabled sport. These include spina bifida, birth defects, cerebral palsy, paralysis due to accident, amputations (of ...
was the most common team sport for wheelchair users. That sport's physical requirement for players to dribble and shoot baskets relegated quadriplegic athletes, with functional impairments to both their upper limbs and lower limbs, to supporting roles. The new sport—originally called ''murderball'' due to its aggressive, full-contact nature—was designed to allow quadriplegic athletes with a wide range of functional ability levels to play integral offensive and defensive roles.
Murderball was first introduced into Australia in 1982. The Australian team competing in the Stoke Mandeville games in England were invited by the Canadians to select a team to play them in a demonstration game. After receiving limited instructions on the rules and skills of the game the "contest" began. Following a fast and very competitive exchange, Australia won. The game was then born and brought back to Australia where it has flourished.
Murderball was introduced to the United States in 1979 by Brad Mikkelsen. With the aid of the
University of North Dakota
The University of North Dakota (also known as UND or North Dakota) is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of N ...
's Disabled Student Services, he formed the first American team, the Wallbangers. The first North American competition was held in 1982.
In the late 1980s, the name of the sport outside the United States was officially changed from ''Murderball'' to ''Wheelchair Rugby''. In the United States, the sport's name was changed to ''Quad Rugby''.
The first international tournament was held in 1989 in
Toronto, Ontario
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, Canada, with teams from Canada, the United States and Great Britain. In 1990, Wheelchair Rugby first appeared at the
International Stoke Mandeville Games
The International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports (IWAS) World Games (or IWAS World Games) are a multi-sport competition for athletes with a disability, which were the forerunner of the Paralympic Games. The competition has been formerly known as t ...
as an exhibition event, and in 1993 the sport was recognized as an official international sport for athletes with a disability by the
International Stoke Mandeville Wheelchair Sports Federation
The International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS) is an international sports organisation that governs sports for athletes with physical impairments.
IWAS is a registered charity with its headquarters located at Aylesbury Colle ...
(ISMWSF). In the same year, the
International Wheelchair Rugby Federation
World Wheelchair Rugby (WWR) is the international governing body for the sport of wheelchair rugby
Wheelchair rugby (originally murderball, and known as quad rugby in the United States) is a team sport for athletes with a disability. It is ...
(IWRF) was established as a sports section of ISMWSF to govern the sport. The first
IWRF World Wheelchair Rugby Championships were held in
Nottwil
Nottwil is a municipality in the district of Sursee in the canton of Lucerne in Switzerland.
History
Nottwil is first mentioned around 1217-22 as ''Nottewile''. In 1275 it was mentioned as ''Otewile''.
Nottwil is also the location where th ...
, Switzerland, in 1995 and wheelchair rugby appeared as a demonstration sport at the
1996 Summer Paralympics
The 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, were held from August 16 to 25. It was the first Paralympics to get mass media sponsorship, and had a budget of USD $81 million.
It was the first Paralympic Games where Internatio ...
in
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
.
The sport has had full medal status since the
2000 Summer Paralympics
The 2000 Summer Paralympic Games or the XI Summer Paralympics were held in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, between 18 and 29 October. The Sydney Paralympics was last time that the Summer Paralympics which were organized by two different ...
in
Sydney,
Australia, and there are now twenty-five active countries in international competition, with several others developing the sport.
Rules
Wheelchair rugby is mostly played by two teams of up to twelve players. Only four players from each team may be on the court at any time. It is a mixed-gender sport, and both male and female athletes play on the same teams.
Wheelchair rugby is played indoors on a hardwood court of the same measurements as a regulation
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
court—28 metres long by 15 metres wide. The required court markings are a centre line and circle, and a key area measuring 8 metres wide by 1.75 metres deep at each end of the court.
The
goal line is the section of the end line within the key. Each end of the goal line is marked with a cone-shaped pylon. Players score by carrying the ball across the goal line. For a goal to count, two wheels of the player's wheelchair must cross the line while the player has possession of the ball.
A team is not allowed to have more than three players in their own key while they are defending their goal line. Offensive players are not permitted to remain in the opposing team's key for more than ten seconds.
A player with possession of the ball must bounce or pass the ball within ten seconds.
A team's back court is the half of the court containing the goal they are defending; their front court is the half containing the goal they are attacking. Teams have twelve seconds to advance the ball from their back court into the front court and a total of forty seconds to score a point or concede possession.
Physical contact between wheelchairs is permitted, and forms a major part of the game. However, physical contact between wheelchairs that is deemed dangerous—such as striking another player from behind—is not allowed. Direct physical contact between players is not permitted.
Fouls
Foul may refer to:
__NOTOC__ In sports
* Foul (sports), an unfair or illegal act during a sports competition, including:
** Foul (association football), in football (soccer)
** Professional foul, in football (soccer) or rugby
** Foul (basketbal ...
are penalized by either a one-minute penalty, for defensive fouls and
technical foul
In basketball, a technical foul (colloquially known as a "T" or a "tech") is any infraction of the rules penalized as a foul which does not involve physical contact during the course of play between opposing players on the court, or is a foul by a ...
s, or a loss of possession, for offensive fouls. In some cases, a penalty goal may be awarded in lieu of a penalty. Common fouls include ''spinning'' (striking an opponent's wheelchair behind the main axle, causing it to spin horizontally or vertically), ''illegal use of hands'' or ''reaching in'' (striking an opponent with the arms or hands), and ''holding'' (holding or obstructing an opponent by grasping with the hands or arms, or falling onto them).
Wheelchair rugby games consist of four eight-minute quarters. If the game is tied at the end of regulation play, three-minute
overtime
Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways:
*by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society) ...
periods are played.
Much like able-bodied rugby matches, highly competitive wheelchair rugby games are fluid and fast-moving, with possession switching back and forth between the teams while play continues. The game clock is stopped when a goal is scored or in the event of a violation—such as the ball being played out of bounds—or a foul. Players may only be substituted during a stoppage in play.
Tries
Goals (see above under Rules) are sometimes called "
tries".
Equipment
![BoiseBombersWheelchairRugbyTeamAtFortBoiseCommunityCenter](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/BoiseBombersWheelchairRugbyTeamAtFortBoiseCommunityCenter.jpg)
Wheelchair rugby is played in a manual
wheelchair
A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, used when walking is difficult or impossible due to illness, injury, problems related to old age, or disability. These can include spinal cord injuries ( paraplegia, hemiplegia, and quadriplegia), cerebr ...
. The rules include detailed specifications for the wheelchair. Players use custom-made sports wheelchairs that are specifically designed for wheelchair rugby. Key design features include a front bumper, designed to help strike and hold opposing wheelchairs, and wings, which are positioned in front of the main wheels to make the wheelchair more difficult to stop and hold. All wheelchairs must be equipped with spoke protectors, to prevent damage to the wheels, and an anti-tip device at the back.
New players and players in developing countries sometimes play in wheelchairs that have been adapted for wheelchair rugby by the addition of temporary bumpers and wings.
Wheelchair rugby uses a regulation
volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...
typically of a 'soft-touch' design, with a slightly textured surface to provide a better grip. The balls are normally over-inflated compared to volleyball, to provide a better bounce. The official ball of the sport from 2013–2016 is the
Molten
Melting, or fusion, is a physical process that results in the phase transition of a substance from a solid to a liquid. This occurs when the internal energy of the solid increases, typically by the application of heat or pressure, which inc ...
soft-touch volleyball, model number WR58X.
["Official IWRF Molten Wheelchair Rugby Balls"]
iwrf.com
Players use a variety of other personal equipment, such as gloves and applied adhesives to assist with ball handling due to their usually impaired gripping ability, and various forms of strapping to maintain a good seating position.
Classification
To be eligible to play wheelchair rugby, athletes must have some form of disability with a loss of function in both the upper limbs and lower limbs. The majority of wheelchair rugby athletes have
spinal cord
The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular structure made up of nervous tissue, which extends from the medulla oblongata in the brainstem to the lumbar region of the vertebral column (backbone). The backbone encloses the central canal of the sp ...
injuries at the level of their cervical vertebrae. Other eligible players have multiple
amputations
Amputation is the removal of a limb by trauma, medical illness, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on ind ...
,
polio
Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...
, or neurological disorders such as
cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be problems with sens ...
, some forms of
muscular dystrophy, or
Guillain–Barré syndrome
Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) is a rapid-onset muscle weakness caused by the immune system damaging the peripheral nervous system. Typically, both sides of the body are involved, and the initial symptoms are changes in sensation or pain oft ...
, among other medical conditions.
Players are classified according to their functional level and assigned a point value ranging from 0.5 (the lowest functional level) to 3.5 (the highest). The total classification value of all players on the court for a team at one time cannot exceed eight points.
The classification process begins with an assessment of the athlete's level of disability to determine if the minimum eligibility requirements for wheelchair rugby are met. These require that an athlete have a neurological disability that involves at least three limbs, or a non-neurological disability that involves all four limbs. The athlete then completes a series of muscle tests designed to evaluate the strength and range of motion of the upper limbs and trunks. A classification can then be assigned to the athlete. Classification frequently includes subsequent observation of the athlete in competition to confirm that physical function in game situations reflects what was observed during muscle testing.
Athletes are permitted to appeal their classification if they feel they have not been properly evaluated. Athletes can be granted a permanent classification if they demonstrate a stable level of function over a series of classification tests.
Wheelchair rugby classification is conducted by personnel with medical training, usually
physicians,
physiotherapists
Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is one of the allied health professions. It is provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through physical examination, diagnosis, management, prognosis, patient ...
, or
occupational therapists
Occupational therapists (OTs) are health care professionals specializing in occupational therapy and occupational science. OTs and occupational therapy assistants (OTAs) use scientific bases and a holistic perspective to promote a person's abili ...
. Classifiers must also be trained in muscle testing and in the details of wheelchair rugby classification.
Active countries
there are thirty-one active countries playing wheelchair rugby and twenty-six more developing national teams, divided into three zones:
International competitions
The major wheelchair rugby international competitions are Zone Championships, held in each odd-numbered year, and the
World Championships
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
held quadrennially in even-numbered years. Wheelchair rugby is also an included sport in regional events such as the
Parapan American Games
The Parapan American Games is an international multi-sport event for athletes with physical disabilities held every four years after every Pan American Games. The first Games were held in 1999 in Mexico City, Mexico. The 2003 Parapan American G ...
.
Since 2000, it has been one of the sports of the
Summer Paralympic Games.
In July 2022, the
World Games
The World Games are an international multi-sport event comprising sports and sporting disciplines that are not contested in the Olympic Games. They are usually held every four years, one year after a Summer Olympic Games, over the course of 11 d ...
in Birmingham, Alabama hosted six teams to compete: Japan, USA, Germany, Switzerland, Canada, and Great Britain. These games had been postponed from 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Variations
The paralympic version of wheelchair rugby has been adapted with new variations on the rules developed. These variations have broadened the classification system to allow players with higher functionality to compete.
Invictus Games
Team size reduced from 12 to 10.
Classifications in three categories:
* "Maximum" players (1 point) - roughly in line with classification for the paralympic version of the game
* "Moderate" players (2 points) - players with functional or physical impairments (eg One limb significantly impaired or Significant balance issues (e.g. player must walk with assistive devices) )
* "Open" players (3 points) - players with minor or non-permanent physical disabilities and other illnesses (e.g. PTSD, TBI, minor orthopedic injuries)
A maximum of 8 points from 4 players can be played on court at any time.
Wheelchair Rugby 5s
The 5s version of wheelchair rugby was developed in the UK by
Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby
The Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby Limited (GBWR) is a non-profit organisation and the sports governing body, governing body for wheelchair rugby in Great Britain. The organisation represents Great Britain in International Wheelchair Rugby Fede ...
in 2017. The game was officially adopted by
IWRF in June 2021.
Like the Invictus variation, the 5s game widens eligibility.
Team size remains at 12.
Classifications in broad groups:
* 0.5-1.0 - Paralympic wheelchair rugby classifications from 0.5-3.5
* 1.5 - GBWR paralympic classification of 4.0 and players with an impairment in one upper limb
* 2.0 - Players with an impairment in both lower limbs
* 3.0 - Players with an impairment in one lower limb
* 4.0 - Players with a diagnosed pain related impairment
A maximum of 10 points from 5 players can be played on the court at any time.
In popular culture
Wheelchair rugby was featured in the
Oscar
Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to:
People
* Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms.
* Oscar (Irish mythology) ...
-nominated 2005 documentary ''
Murderball''. It was voted the #1 Top Sport Movie of all time by the movie review website
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
.
The character Jason Street in the NBC television show '' Friday Night Lights'', having been paralyzed in a game of American football in the pilot, tries out for the United States quad rugby team in a later episode.
See also
*Wheelchair sports
Parasports are sports played by people with a disability, including physical and intellectual disabilities. Some parasports are forms of adapted physical activities from existing able-bodied sports, while others have been specifically created fo ...
*Wheelchair rugby league
Wheelchair rugby league is a wheelchair-based version of rugby league football, one of two recognised disability versions of the sport. It was developed by French rugby league player, coach and official, Wally Salvan in 2004. Unlike other wheelcha ...
*Wheelchair Australian rules football The first organised game of competitive wheelchair Australian rules football was played at the RAAF base in Adelaide, South Australia on 8 November 2015. The game involved a team of wounded Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel undergoing rehabil ...
Notes
References
*
*
*
*
*
External links
Official site
of World Wheelchair Rugby (WWR)
Official site
of the International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation
The International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS) is an international sports organisation that governs sports for athletes with physical impairments.
IWAS is a registered charity with its headquarters located at Aylesbury Colle ...
(IWAS)
Official site
of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC)
Official site
of the United States Wheelchair Rugby
United may refer to:
Places
* United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community
* United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community
Arts and entertainment Films
* ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film
* ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...
(USAWR)
Official site
of the United States Quad Rugby Association (USQRA)
*
{{Team Sport, state=collapsed
Mixed-sex sports
Variations of rugby union
Sports originating in Canada