Wheelchair rugby: a high-impact sport to take into account at the Paralympic Games
Juan José Saldaña
July 25, 2024

The Paralympic Games are among the greatest sporting milestones in the world and during Paris 2024 it is expected to go down in history for increasing female participation, equalizing the quota in team events and protecting athletes. The French capital is ready to host the 4,400 Paralympic athletes who, from August 28 to September 8, will make the event a true party.

One of the most interesting sports for its combinations and variations with respect to the traditional one, in these Games is wheelchair rugby, which was developed for the first time in Canada in 1970. This sport was shown to the world at the Paralympic Games in Atlanta 1996 through a demonstration test and officially debuted in the rings competition four years later at the 2000 Sydney Paralympics. Also known as “Murderball”, it combines elements of rugby, basketball and handball.

Currently, the International Wheelchair Rugby Federation has 30 members and promises to be one of the highlights of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

A Murderball team is made up of male and female athletes, all with some degree of paralysis in all four limbs. This sport allows players to participate on equal terms. Wheelchairs are very well reinforced due to the strong blows they can receive. Such is the power of the shocks that these manual wheelchairs have an anti-roll system in the rear and a double bumper.

The matches are divided into four eight-minute quarters and are played on a 28×15 meter field. During this time, players seek to bring the ball (similar to a volleyball) to the try line located at both ends of the playing field.

Players can advance to the end zone carrying the ball on their knees, dribbling past opponents and, unlike rugby, forward passes are allowed. Regarding possession, from the moment the team has the ball, it has 40 seconds to score a try. You can’t have the ball for more than 10 seconds.

Australia is currently positioned first in the world ranking and Great Britain is the current Olympic champion after taking gold in Tokyo 2020.

At the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, the venue in charge of receiving this great sport will be Champ de Mars Arena. It will be held between August 29 and September 2. There will be two groups of four countries each, to then play the semifinals and final in the case of the medals, and the reclassification to define fifth to eighth. In Group A there will be the United States, Canada, Japan and Germany; while Group B will be made up of Australia, Great Britain, France and Denmark.

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