Wheelchair Rugby

Sport Summary:

Wheelchair Rugby is an intense, physical team sport for male and female athletes with quadriplegia (tetraplegia).

The sport can be very physical as athletes attempt to carry the ball over the opponent's goal line.

The players are classified according to their level of functional ability and are assigned a point value from 0.5 to 3.5 points – the higher the points the more functional ability the athletes have. The four players on the court cannot exceed a combined total of 8 points.

A volleyball is used and it can be carried, dribbled, or passed in any way except by kicking.

The ball must be bounced at least once every 10 seconds and rugby is played in eight-minute quarters.

Paralympic Events being contested at Beijing 2008:

  • Eight team tournament (mixed)

Click here to view the nomination criteria for the 2008 Paralympic wheelchair Rugby Team in pdf.

Rules & Equipment:

Court:

Wheelchair Rugby is played indoors on a regulation-sized basketball court. The basketball key area is replaced by a Wheelchair Rugby key eight metres wide and 1.75 metres deep. The part of the end line within the key is called the goal line, and it is marked with one pylon at each end.

Ball:

An official size and weight volleyball is used for play. The ball must weight 280 grams and be white in colour.

Wheelchairs:

As a contact sport, Wheelchair Rugby places high demands on the player's wheelchairs. They must be lightweight and easy to manoeuvre while still being strong enough to protect the players and withstand the frequent intense collisions. Wheelchair Rugby chairs have several unique features include bumpers at the front and wings to protect the side area. Spoke protectors and anti-tip devices are mandatory. All wheelchairs must meet IWRF regulations.

Gloves:

Athletes may wear gloves to improve their grip on the ball

Classification:

Wheelchair Rugby is a sport for quadriplegic (tetraplegic) male and female athletes. Players are classed into one of seven classes: 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0 and 3.5, depending on their functional ability.

The higher classes are assigned to those players that have higher functional levels and the lower class players are players with less function.

During the game, the total value of all the players on the court for a team cannot exceed eight points. This ensures that teams must field a mix of athletes of all functional levels.

Click here for a more detailed explanation of Wheelchair Rugby classification in pdf.

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