Supported by Community Partner: SPAR UKThe National Lottery Y Loteri Genedlaethol
Jim Roberts competing in wheelchair rugby for ParalympicsGB at Tokyo 2020

Wheelchair Rugby

 

Wheelchair rugby is one of the only full contact disability sports and made its full Paralympic debut in 2000 in Sydney following an exhibition match at the Atlanta 1996 games. Wheelchair rugby is a mixed-team sport for male and female athletes. The sport is known for its intensity, competitive collisions and often high scoring results. There is also a Wheelchair rugby 5s format of the game which features an extra player on court and a more open classification system than the Paralympic format which sees four players on court at any one time. In the Paralympic format, players are awarded a classification designation ranging from 0.5 to 3.5, with a maximum of 8 points on court at any time. Wheelchair rugby is played with a round ball.

Photo: Para Sport Festival 2024: Wheelchair Rugby Welsh Open

Get Involved

There are opportunities to participate in Wheelchair rugby and Wheelchair rugby 5s. You can refer to the Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby website and the DSW club finder to find out how to get involved.

National Governing Body for wheelchair rugby in Wales:

Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby

Website: gbwr.org.uk

 

For more information about coaching and volunteering, please Contact Us.

Competitive Pathways

There are pathways that lead to:

sport_has_paralympic_pathway.pngParalympic Games
sport_has_world_pathway.pngWorld Championships
European Championships

To find out what your potential is and and for guidance in competitive pathways, please complete the Disability Sport Wales #inspireform.

Domestic opportunities are also available for those playing wheelchair rugby 5s.

Eligibility

To compete in a Paralympic pathway in wheelchair rugby, a person must have an eligible impairment type. The eligible impairment types for competitive wheelchair rugby are:

  • Impaired muscle power
  • Athetosis
  • Impaired passive range of movement
  • Hypertonia
  • Limb deficiency
  • Ataxia

More information on wheelchair rugby eligible impairment types and an explanation of the classification system can be found here.

insport Clubs:

 


Find more insport Clubs

   Back to the top

   Back to the homepage

Articles tagged with Wheelchair Rugby

 

Accessibility Options

These options options adjust the visual layout of disabilitysportwales.com. If you are using a screen reader, these options will not change your experience, and you may wish to close this Accessibility Options panel and continue browsing the site.

Text Size

Select an option:


Colour

Select an option:


Buttons

Please select your preference:


Paragraph Font

You may optionally select to view this website in Lato or Atkinson Hyperlegible.

Please select your preference:


Use of Capital Letters

You can choose to minimise the use of capital letters for headings and sub-headings if you find them easier to read in Sentence Case. Some text, including acronyms, may still be shown in capital letters.

Please select your preference:


Motion Options

This site sometimes uses animation to bring the content to life. If you'd like to disable this, you can do.

Please select your preference:


Accessibility Statement

Read our Accessibility Statement