February 1976. Manitoba, Canada. On paper, this date does not sink into people’s memories, evoking an important moment. However, what happened on those days in the city of Winnipeg This gave birth to what is today one of the fastest growing disciplines in Paralympic sport: wheelchair rugby.
It was born under the name of “Murderball” and it happened in the most spontaneous way possible. A group of five friends, all quadriplegic, who picked up a volleyball in a gym and started throwing it to try to put it in a trash can. They got tired of having to pick the ball up off the ground and changed their way of playing: to score a point, a player had to cross the line of the basketball court with the ball in their hands. Without realizing it, they created a Paralympic discipline.
Soon after its formation, the Winnipeg group began performing “murderball” demonstrations in different parts of Canadausually at other sporting events for people with disabilities. The line has been crossed USA and in 1981 it was possible to cross the Atlantic until the sport reached the English. Then it landed north of Europe And Australiagenerating an unstoppable ball that led to the celebration of his first World Cup in 1995. A year later, the climax came atlanta.
Wheelchair basketball, as the sport is officially known, first appeared at the Paralympic Games in Atlanta 1996. He did it in the form of an exhibition-event, before taking the big leap into Sydney 2000 as official proof. Since then, he has only missed the event until the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. And it continues to grow.
Contact, key
Over the years, wheelchair rugby has become more professional. Initially, it was a more dangerous and precarious sport, but it is now much safer. Of course, contact has always been its trademark.
Since its inception, physical contact has become a key element of Murderball. Players would use their chairs to block and restrain their opponents, trying to prevent them from crossing the line. They did this by knocking them against each other, causing many of the competitors to fall and damage the wheelchairs themselves.
Throwing game at the United States and Japan Paralympic Games.
REUTERS
“Home repairs” were made by placing welded steel bars on the front of the chairs, using steel-toed construction boots, and making modifications to protect the wheel spokes. Additionally, for safety reasons, players would tie their legs together on the chair, although any other type of restraint was prohibited.
48 After that first gym session in Winnipeg, wheelchair rugby is a global sport played in 31 countries. Another 21 are developing the game, Bangladesh until Ecuador And UkraineThe challenges are different in each country, but they share common elements: availability and cost of chairs, travel to train and play, funds to compete and enough volunteers to organize and support high-level physically disabled players.
However, at international level, wheelchair rugby is becoming increasingly professional, with all world-class teams employing training equipment and a full complement of performance science and medical professionals. This improves the quality of the game and the spectator experience.
The rules of the game
In wheelchair rugby, teams compete to score the most tries. A try is scored when a player with the ball crosses the try line with two wheels. Each team can have four players of either gender on the field at any one time. Hits and blocks are used to stop the opposing team’s athletes or to create space for athletes to score.
Games are played in four eight-minute quarters. In the event of a tie, three-minute overtime periods are played until a winner is declared. Once an athlete gains possession of the ball, they have 10 seconds to rebound or pass, 12 seconds to reach the other half, and 40 seconds to score. The pressure increases, adding excitement to the game.
Athletes are assigned a sport class based on a score ranging from 0.5 to 3.5. These points are awarded based on the degree of activity limitation of your ability to play that sport. The four players on the field cannot exceed a total of eight points. An additional half point is awarded to each player on the field.
Defensive players use a longer wheelchair and have a large bumper designed to hit and hold their opponents. While attacking, players use wheelchairs designed for speed and agility to maneuver in tight spaces.
