Year: 2021

Welcome to new members of the Classification Committee

We are very pleased to announce that Patricia Beckwith (Argentina) has been appointed as the WWR Americas Zone Head of Classification.  We would also like to extend a warm welcome to Julie Bakke (Canada) who has also joined the Committee.  We know that both new members will bring their significant experience, unique perspectives and expertise to the committee, and we look forward to working together over the years ahead.  We now have 3 Committee members from each WWR Zone.  Our complete Classification Committee is:

Greg Ungerer (Australlia) – WWR Head of Classification
Patricia Beckwith (Argentina) – WWR Americas Zone Head of Classification
Izabela Sauerbier (Poland) – WWR European Zone Head of Classification
Jacques Erasmus (South Africa) – WWR Asia Oceania Zone Head of Classification
Viola Altmann (Netherlands) – WWR Classification Database Manager
Jens Sauerbier (Germany) – Athlete Representative
Anne Hart (USA) – Member
Binnie O’Dwyer (New Zealand) – Member
Julie Bakke (Canada) – Member

Changes to the Classification System for Athletes with Limb Deficiency

In October 2020, the Classification Committee released a draft of proposed changes to the way we classify athletes who have the impairment type of Limb Deficiency.  While we did receive some feedback from two Member Nations during the consultation period, this feedback did not identify any fundamental issues with the proposed system and did not result in any significant changes to the proposed system.  There is a copy of the new system available at WWR – World Wheelchair Rugby.  It can be found at the bottom of the Classification page in the Documentation section.

This new system of classification for athletes with Limb Deficiency represents a fundamental change to the way we classify athletes with this impairment type.  In accordance with our Classification Rules, when we make changes such as these, we are required to re-classify every athlete who has Limb Deficiency recorded as their impairment type in our Classification Database.

Effective January 1^st, 2022:

• All athletes with impairment type of Limb Deficiency will have their sport class status changed to R (review) status. This includes athletes who currently have C (confirmed) sport class status.
• These athletes will be eligible for classification at WWR licensed events where Classification Panels are present, subject to the normal prioritisation process for Classification slots – N (new) status athletes will have the highest priority for Classification, followed by R (review) status athletes and protested athletes.  Any remaining Classification slots at events will then be offered to athletes with FRD (fixed review date) status.
• Athletes with R (review) sport class status will be permitted to continue to compete in WWR licensed events with this R sport class status, even if Classification Panels are not present at those events, or there aren’t available slots for classification. Please note, this provision does not apply to the Paralympic Games under current IPC rules. 
• It is our intention to try to work through the re-classification of all impacted athletes as quickly as possible. However, we recognise that access to Classification Panels may continue to be impacted by the ongoing world-wide pandemic conditions that continue to restrict international movement.  The Classification Committee will continue to monitor this situation and provide further advice regarding these impacts as required.
• If, as a result of re-classification, C (confirmed) sport class status athletes have no change in their sport class, their C (confirmed) sport class status will be restored.
• If, as a result of re-classification, FRD (fixed review date) sport class status athletes have no change in their sport class, then the re-classification will advance their sport class status to the next stage, subject to the normal provisions described in the Classification Rules.  For example, FRD 1 athletes will advance to FRD 2, and FRD 2 athletes will advance to C if it has been more than 11 months since their previous classification.
• If, as a result of re-classification, any athlete has a change in sport class, their sport class status will reset to FRD 1, and the sport class and status change will be effective immediately. 
• Athletes who have a change to their sport class will have the opportunity to protest this decision, subject to the usual provisions for protests described in the WWR Classification Rules.

In January 2022, an updated version of the WWR Classification Rules will be published containing these changes to the Classification system. Our intention in working to implement these changes is to have a classification system for athletes with Limb Deficiency that is specific to that impairment type, and is therefore more open and transparent, and is able to be applied much more fairly and consistently across this group of athletes.

We would like to thank you in advance for your patience while we work through these changes, and we would ask you to remember that for many Classifiers, we will also be working with this new system for the first time at events during 2022. As always, we are very happy to answer questions and receive any feedback that you may have, in order to continue to improve and refine our systems.

Introducing the new WWR Competition Licensing Regulations formerly known as Competition Sanction.
by Kathy Newman, Head of Competitions

Are you planning to host a Friendly Match against another National Team?

Or are you planning to host an International tournament with world ranking points on the line?

Or are you planning to host an International tournament to get athletes classified?

Well WWR is introducing new regulations to replace the old event sanction regulations!

These new regulations are now referred to as WWR Competition Licensing Regulations.

WWR is required by the IPC Constitution to License all international matches and tournaments. We also gather the information on all international matches and competitions held within a quadrennial.  WWR submits this data to the IPC in order to be approved to participate in the Paralympic Games.  Often WWR is not aware of international matches or competitions taking place. This new Competition Licensing Regulation will assist us in tracking the data to ensure future inclusion in the Games.

Also, having knowledge and information of international competition provides useful data to demonstrate to stakeholders and potential partners of the amount of global activity taking place.

New Covid-19 Medical Mitigation Plan Regulations – Supporting Competitions for hosting a WWR Licensed Competition and a Practical Guide to Hosting Competitions

Thank you to Dr Ken Lee for writing these new regulations, to support the healthy and safety of registered athletes, coaches, officials and others, participating in WWR Licensed Competitions.  These regulations will be reviewed monthly so be sure to check on the website regularly for the most updated version of this document.

We would also like to thank Simon Starr for writing the Practical Guide to hosting during Covid-19.  Simon was the Technical Delegate for the 2020 WWR European Division B Championship where he had to apply these strategies to ensure the well being of the participants in the tournament.

WWR is seeking bids to host the 2022 WWR European Qualification Championship

One of the major challenges that WWR and it’s Member Nations have faced is condensing four years of competition into a three-year period following the unprecedented postponement of the Paralympic Games held in Tokyo. In order to find solutions, the European Championship Division B & C events have been brought together into what is being called the European Qualification Championship.

Please visit the WWR website to find the bid documents to host the 2022 WWR EQC.  The bid deadline is January 21, 2022.  If you are interested in bidding be sure to let Kathy Newman know at knewman@iwrf.com

Congratulations to Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby for winning the bid to host the 2023 WWR European Championship Division A

We received two exceptional bids to host this event and it was a difficult decision.  In the end we awarded the bid to GBWR.  Plans are to host the tournament in Cardiff, Wales.  Unique to the bid was the partnership they have formed with the Welsh Rugby Union.  We are looking forward to this event, which is planned to be held in the iconic Principality Stadium.

For the first time, the Organising Committee of a Rugby World Cup will integrate the organisation of the International Wheelchair Rugby Cup, after being appointed by World Wheelchair Rugby, the sport’s governing body.

Conscious of its social and environmental responsibilities, France 2023 wants to shift lines and organise an event with a positive impact for rugby, for society and for the planet. The France 2023 Organising Committee has a strong willingness to make Rugby World Cup France 2023 an event for all those involved in the broader rugby community.

The International Wheelchair Rugby Cup will take place between the quarter-finals and the semi-finals of Rugby World Cup France 2023, from 14 October to 21 October, in a location which will be announced soon.

This competition will reunited the eight best world-ranked nations, including France, in its position of host nation.

Organising this tournament during Rugby World Cup France 2023 is an opportunity to shine a light on some of rugby’s core values : diversity and equal opportunities, in a competition with mixed-gender teams.

This tournament will be organised by France 2023 with unprecedented standards of excellency, which will contribute to wheelchair ruby long-term growth, both in France and throughout the world.

As a symbol of this new collaboration, the pool draw for the upcoming Wheelchair Rugby European Championships will take place during the presentation of France 2023’s SCR strategy in Paris on December 7. The Wheelchair Rugby European Championships will be held in February 2022, in Paris.

Claude ATCHER (CEO of France 2023) : The France 2023 Organising Committee is proud and eager to organise this unique event: the International Rugby Wheelchair Cup. We want to give to this competition the visibility that it deserves and share the essential values that it carries: diversity, resilience, equality for all.

Richard ALLCROFT (President of World Wheelchair Rugby) : I would like to thank France 2023 in developing a partnership that will see the International Wheelchair Rugby Cup feature alongside the Rugby World Cup in France. It is an exciting time for the French people as they will look forward to many great events taking place over the next three years. I know that they will enjoy the fierce and competitive sport of wheelchair rugby and I would recommend to anyone that hasn’t seen our exciting Paralympic sport to come along and be involved.

EVENT TO BE HELD AT THE PRINCIPALITY STADIUM, CARDIFF IN MAY 2023

World Wheelchair Rugby (WWR) is excited to announce, that Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby (GBWR) have been awarded the hosting rights for the 2023 World Wheelchair Rugby European Championship Division A Tournament.

As Great Britain enjoys unprecedented success in wheelchair rugby, having claimed victory in the last three consecutive European Championships, the vision for the event is clear – to deliver the best European Championship ever!  This will be achieved not just by producing the ultimate experience for athletes, fans, volunteers, and partners but by creating a legacy of more people playing, volunteering and supporting the high impact, adrenaline packed game in Wales.

The eight-team event, which will be held in the iconic Principality Stadium in Cardiff from the 3-7 May 2023, will act as a qualifier for Paris 2024, with the top two teams automatically qualifying for the Paralympic Games.

Richard Allcroft, the President of World Wheelchair Rugby, added his thoughts: “I was impressed with the quality of the bid that was presented to WWR.  As the International Federation responsible for the sport globally, our championship events are an important showcase for what we know is an exciting sport.  I have no doubt that the Welsh community will welcome us and support an exciting event.  I look forward to seeing how the event grows over the next 18 months.”

Jim Roberts, GBWR gold medallist said: “What a time for wheelchair rugby! I was honoured to represent GB in Tokyo this summer and to return home with a gold medal was amazing.  Now to have GBWR showcase such a major event in my home country is just fantastic and I have no doubt that this is going to be brilliant for the sport I’ve spent so much time involved with.  I don’t believe there is anywhere more passionate about rugby than Wales and our world class stadium will showcase wheelchair rugby at its very best.  I am passionate about promoting the game and will be fully behind the community engagement planned as we aim to leave a true and lasting legacy in Wales.”

Community engagement and legacy were essential components of the winning bid and will form an important element in the lead up to, during and post the Championships.  The intention is to build on the development work of GB Wheelchair Rugby and the Welsh Rugby Union to ensure a meaningful legacy with the tournament organisers working closely with the Welsh Government, Cardiff City Council, schools and colleges, the Welsh Rugby Union, Disability Sport Wales, UK Sport and GBWR.  Whilst helping the community to better understand the challenges faced by those who are disabled, a key focus will also be on inspiration and motivation, demonstrating that disability is no barrier to an individual achieving their dreams. Alongside the tournament will be a festival of entertainment which will include a celebrity wheelchair rugby match.

The WRU and the Principality Stadium have been at the forefront of supporting the championship coming to Wales and being staged in the home of Welsh rugby. The stadium will give athletes an opportunity to perform in a venue which reflects their world standing as elite athletes in front of a passionate rugby-loving crowd!

The championships will be supported with grants from UK Sport, Welsh Government and GB Wheelchair Rugby, and with partner support from WRU, Cardiff City Council and Disability Sport Wales.

Photo: Megumi Masuda/World Wheelchair Rugby

The 2020 Tokyo Paralympics proved to be a historic event, with Great Britain returning a first Gold Paralympic medal to Europe. USA and Japan rounding off the medals with Silver and Bronze respectively.

The WWR social media team was on hand throughout the Wheelchair Rugby tournament at the games. The team focused on the three main social media platforms of the WWR and surpassed the coverage of previous games.

In addition, the WWR Office oversaw the first stage of the implementation of the WWR Brand launch and worked with the brand consultants and creative agency Cossette to change over the initial social media channels and help to launch the new WWR website.  More work is required on this, but the initial stages of implementation have been successful since the launch on the 17^th August and the run into the Tokyo Paralympics.

Facebook

Currently there are 8,014 people who like the WWR Facebook page.

The rundown of the engagement throughout the Paralympic Games:

	Accounts Reached	Engagement
Pre-Games (17th – 24th August)	76,322	2,881
Day One	10,731	1,041
Day Two	8,297	655
Day Three	16,227	1,589
Day Four	12,127	1,871
Day Five	40,629	6,616
Post-Games (30th – 02nd September)	32,617	4,440

Instagram

The Instagram account of WWR was reactivated on the 10^th August.  As of 02/09 WWR has 1,102 followers, gaining 252 followers (a 23% increase) over the Paralympic games period we achieved 38,730 impressions.

The Instagram posted a total of 82 story slides. From these we had a combined engagement of 28,172 an average of 344 views per slide.

The rundown of engagement throughout the Paralympic Games:

	Accounts Reached	Engagement
Pre-Games (17th – 24th August)	1,685	169
During Games	5,240	1,111
Post-Games (30th – 02nd September)	1,325	197

Twitter

The WWR twitter account was the most active over the games period, with a large proportion of the total WWR engagement via this social media platform. Currently the WWR twitter account has 20.2k followers gaining 606 throughout the Paralympic games period.

The rundown of engagement throughout the Paralympic Games:

	Impressions	Engagement
Pre-Games (17th – 24th August)	17,828	606
Day One	65,762	1,927
Day Two	12,299	717
Day Three	10,493	1,531
Day Four	9,937	1,977
Day Five	115,984	19,301
Post-Games (30th – 02nd September)	17,145	888

During day 5 the bronze medal Japan post received 85k impressions on its own.

Website

The new WWR brand included the launching of a new website on the 17^th August. Since this date the website has seen an average of 750 visits per day, with visits doubling to circa 1,500 visits throughout the Paralympic Wheelchair Rugby Tournament.

The WWR would like to thank Megumi Masuda, Tracey Savell Reavis, Beau Greenway, Tom O’Brien and Aaron Whitehead.

John Timms

Head of Administration

The top teams in the world just finished an amazing Paralympic tournament in Tokyo, but Covid-19 left the stands completely devoid. In October 2022, however, fans will be able to experience Wheelchair Rugby’s best in Vejle, Denmark.

Wheelchair Rugby is more popular than ever in Denmark, and the national team has just finished competing at it’s first ever Paralympic Games after successfully qualifying for Tokyo 2020 at the 2019 European Championship in Vejle. That event saw Spektrum arena in Vejle packed to the brim, and the many fans set the perfect stage for an unforgettable tournament that saw Paralympic champion’s Great Britain come out on top.

Next year, Vejle aims to kick things further up a notch for the 2022 World Championship. Once again, the goal is to fill Spektrum and create the atmosphere that has been so sorely missed at the just finished Paralympic Games. Fan capacity has been expanded due to high ticket demand experienced in 2019, and the first tickets are available now.

Event director Torben Nygaard is pleased to be able to launch the ticket sales as well as the event website.

“We are really looking forward to hosting the World Championship next year and creating a safe and fun fan experience is a high priority for the organising team. For the teams competing, there is no better feeling than playing in front of happy fans, and we hope to once again see many Danes as well as travelling supporters in Spektrum” said Torben Nygaard.

President Richard Allcroft of the newly rebranded World Wheelchair Rugby (WWR) said: “I was so pleased to see that Denmark were interested in hosting the 2022 World Championship. In particular, returning to the city of Vejle. The Danish people and the city welcomed us in 2019 for the European Championship and I remember the spectators enjoying our sport and making plenty of noise. We are now World Wheelchair Rugby, and our new brand has been received well. We feel this reflects our sport in a more positive and vibrant way. The focus has just been on the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, but if you want more wheelchair rugby then join us in Denmark in October 2020. My thanks to the organising committee for the huge amount of work and commitment they have put into the event. Especially, through the challenging year that we had in 2020. Of course, we are still working through the challenges of a pandemic, and we have every confidence that the 2022 World Championship will take place in a safe environment.

The 2022 WWR World Championship will take place in Vejle on October 10-16, 2022.

Ticket information

Tickets can be purchased on the World Championship homepage: https://2022wrwc.com/tickets/

Silver Ticket

Monday 10th through Thursday 13th, October 2022, there will be a morning session with free entry and an afternoon/evening session with two or three games in Spektrum with paid admission. A Silver Ticket, which includes entry to all four evening sessions, can be purchased online now for 125 or 200 DKK each depending on choice of seat.

Golden Ticket

Friday 14th through Sunday 16th, October 2022, is the knock-out tournament. A Golden Ticket will allow entry to all the games. Tickets can be purchased online now for 125 or 200 DKK each depending on choice of seat.

Wheelchair users and others needing personal attendance can buy a ticket and bring a personal attendant for free. These tickets can also be purchased online now.

At a later time single day tickets will be available for purchase. More information about the Fans and Family Program will also be announced later on the website.

About the 2022 Wheelchair Rugby World Championship

Denmark will host the 2022 Wheelchair Rugby World Championship in DGI Huset, Vejle. Parasport Danmark (NPC Denmark) and World Wheelchair Rugby (WWR) will organize the event with the Municipality of Vejle and Sport Event Denmark. The event is supported by Parasport Danmarks main sponsors JYSK, Pressalit and Elsass Fonden, as well as Musholm, main sponsor of wheelchair rugby in Denmark.

Homepage: https://2022wrwc.com/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/2022wrwc
Instagram: @2022wrwc

Beau Greenway (Twitter, @BeauGreenway)

Great Britain made history by becoming the first European nation to win Paralympic gold in Wheelchair Rugby with a 54-49 salute in the Tokyo 2020 final on Sunday.

After a momentous win against host nation Japan, 55-49, on Saturday, to guarantee a medal, Great Britain ensured its greatest ever performance at a Paralympic Games would result in the sport’s ultimate prize with a sublime performance against the USA in the decider.

Just five players were used by Great Britain for the entirety of the contest as star playmaker Jim Roberts (24 tries, three steals) and low-pointers Ryan Cowling and Jonny Coggan were on court for the whole match.

Great Britain’s 3.5-classified players Aaron Phipps (11 tries) and Paralympic debutant Stuart Robinson (14 tries) split minutes on the court and also turned in huge performances.

Similar to the meeting with USA in the pool phase, which saw Great Britain open up a five-try buffer, they again got off to a flying start to lead 15-12 at the first break.

Great Britain extended it to four with the first try of the second term, but the pressure was immense from both sides.

USA was forced to use its final player timeout halfway through the quarter, while Great Britain was reduced to one.

Phipps crossed to make the margin three with just over five seconds to play, but some brilliance from USA saw Chuck Aoki cross after a perfect long inbound from Josh Wheeler to close it to two (26-24) at the main break.

USA had first possession in the second half and reduced the gap to one and they were level at 29-29 shortly after when Phipps missed the target with a short pass.

The quarter remained even throughout, but Great Britain got the all-important final score as Cowling crossed with 3.6 seconds on the clock to give his side a 37-36 lead with a quarter to play.

Possession was in favour of Great Britain, but USA made the perfect start when Aoki and Joe Delagrave teamed up to knock down Robinson and force a turnover, which they converted to make it 37-37.

Robinson got his revenge soon after when he delivered a perfect hit on Delagrave to win the ball back and put Great Britain ahead 42-40 with five and a half minutes to play.

A fumble from Chad Cohn two minutes later was stolen by Roberts and eventually converted by Robinson to make it a three-try lead with less than three minutes to go.

USA had to take more risks in order to cause a late turnaround, but Great Britain forced another two turnovers and held their nerve to record a famous 54-49 victory, sealed by Robinson’s 14th try on the stroke of the final buzzer.

Roberts revealed it’s set to be his last tournament as an international player, but he couldn’t have asked for a better way to go out.

“I’ll never say never, but I think it will be pretty cool to bow out on top,” Roberts said.

“The body feels a little bit wrecked to be honest and I don’t think I can continue to keep hurting myself for the game.

“We stuck to our game plan and managed to keep them out of the key because that was a big win for them in the first game.

“We knew if they tried to press we’d have the speed to get around them a little bit.

“I’m glad it didn’t go to overtime to be honest, but Aaron and Stu were massive. They’ve progressed so much in the last couple of years and it’s amazing the world got to see that.”

After three fourth-place finishes for Great Britain at both the Paralympics and World Championships, Roberts said the overarching emotion was relief to be part of the first European team to medal at the Games.

It was probably one of the better games in terms of nerves I’d felt going into because we had secured a medal now it was about could we get Gold!.

“I obviously still wanted to win, but it didn’t feel do or die and I think that helped free us up a bit. As a team, that’s a performance we can be proud of.

“A massive thanks to all the guys who set up GB Wheelchair Rugby all those years ago and have pushed it on. There’s been so many that have come so close and they’re all part of this journey and part of the legacy now that we’ve actually done it.”

Ultimately, USA was unable to go one better than Rio 2016 after it defeated defending Paralympic champions Australia, 49-42, in the semi-finals a day earlier.

Aoki (18 tries) and Wheeler’s (21 tries) partnership was on show with a number of fine passes executed between the pair, but it wasn’t enough to deliver the USA its first gold medal since Beijing 2008.

“It’s a disappointment certainly. We wanted gold, so we’re frustrated and sad, but at the end of the day I’m proud of my team,” USA star high-pointer Chuck Aoki said.

“We go into every match confident and we thought we had a good strategy and game plan.

“They [Great Britain] certainly made some adjustments that were effective on their offence and their defence and we perhaps weren’t prepared for that. I thought we weathered the storm early, but towards the end we broke before they did unfortunately.

“We made a few adjustments we thought would be effective, but they made a few more and their pressure was a little too much for us to handle today.”

Aoki said the gut-wrenching double-overtime loss in the gold medal game to Australia in Rio five years ago was spoken about by some of the team, but wasn’t a motivating factor for the Tokyo final.

“We dispatched Australia in the semi-final so we kind of put that [Rio 2016] to bed so to speak, but I think this was a different match for us,” Aoki said.

“We tried to focus on Great Britain and take care of business.

“It’s great for the sport to have so much depth across the board. It makes it harder for us, but as a fan of the sport I’m very happy to see it.

“We had to battle through so much adversity just to get to this point with the pandemic. I love to be part of this team and I know we’ll come back strong.

“I know the team will certainly reload as quickly as we can because we’ve got the World Championship just around the corner [in Vejle, Denmark, October 2022].”

Japan matched its effort from Rio 2016 with a bronze medal after a 62-50 win against Australia.

Australia was unable to field its preferred high-low lineup, featuring captain Ryley Batt and Chris Bond, as 0.5 classified player Mick Ozanne was ruled out with illness, and Japan piled on the pressure to lead 14-11 at the first break.

The buffer was five at the half, but Australia closed it to three early in the third quarter, before a host of turnovers saw Japan race to a commanding 45-36 advantage heading into the final period.

Veteran Daisuke Ikezaki was outstanding on both ends of the court. He led the way with 23 tries and four steals.

Japan went on to complete a 60-52 victory and assure Australia finished the tournament with just one win and missed the podium for the first time in Wheelchair Rugby since Athens 2004.

Australia was somewhat fortunate to progress to the semi-finals after Paralympic debutants Denmark pulled off a stunning 54-53 victory against the reigning champions on day one.

The Steelers dug deep to beat France in their second match, and despite a four-try loss to Japan in the final pool game, Australia reached the top four via a tiebreak having boasted the best try difference of the three teams locked on one win, after France defeated Denmark.

France showed massive improvement with two-try losses to Japan and Australia in the pool phase, but went on to finish sixth after a 57-49 loss to Canada in the playoff match.

Denmark had to settle for seventh, but finished on a high with a 56-53 triumph against New Zealand.

Tokyo 2020 results

Day One

USA 63-35 New Zealand

Australia 53-54 Denmark

Great Britain 50-47 Canada

Japan 53-51 France

Day Two

Canada 54-58 USA

Japan 60-51 Denmark

France 48-50 Australia

Great Britain 60-37 USA

Day Three

Denmark 50-52 France

Australia 53-57 Japan

USA 50-48 Great Britain

New Zealand 36-51 Canada

Day Four

Seventh place playoff: Denmark 56-53 New Zealand

Fifth place playoff: France 49-57 Canada

Semi-final 1: Japan 49-55 Great Britain

Semi-final 2: USA 49-42 Australia

Day Five

Bronze medal match: Australia 52-60 Japan

Gold medal match: USA 54-49 Great Britain

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The dust has settled on the Wheelchair Rugby Paralympic tournament, Great Britain made history by becoming the first European Nation to win Paralympic gold. While USA and Japan rounded off the medals with silver and bronze respectively.

During the tournament Beau Greenway on behalf of the WWR interviewed Michelle Nicholas Covid Liaison Office and Jacques Erasmus Chief Classifier of the event. Discussing topics such as the Wheelchair Rugby Tournament, Paralympic hopes, and the future of WWR.

Michelle Nicholas

• COVID Liaison Officer World Wheelchair Rugby
• Assistant Technical Delegate at Tokyo 2020

Michelle Nicholas was the COVID Liaison Officer for World Wheelchair Rugby at the Tokyo Paralympic Games a really important role to ensure all the officials followed covid protocols throughout the games.  

In 2016, she was asked to come on board to assist with recruitment and training of table officials for the annual Australian national championships held in Sydney and has been involved ever since. Nicholas’ first major involvement with wheelchair rugby was the 2018 World Championship in Sydney as the score table co-ordinator. The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games was her first time travelling for wheelchair rugby.

Jacques Erasmus

• Chief Classifier for World Wheelchair Rugby, Tokyo 2020

Jacques was the Chief Classifier for World Wheelchair Rugby, at Tokyo 2020 games and managed a team of six international classifiers – ensuring all the administrative aspects around classification at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games were addressed.

WWR:  How did you first get involved with wheelchair rugby?

Erasmus: In 2005 during the Asia-Oceania Zonal Championships in South Africa.

Nicholas: I first got involved as a table official for wheelchair rugby at the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games.

WWR: What excited you about the sport?

Erasmus: I investigated various sports during the time I managed a Rehabilitation Unit in an attempt to get clients involved in sport early on during their rehabilitation phase and certainly following after rehabilitation.

Nicholas: I loved this new and exciting sport having been involved with wheelchair basketball for several years prior to this.

WWR: What do you like the most?

Erasmus: The game is tactical, fast paced, and full contact – all of which contributes to a very exciting game.

Nicholas: Anyone who watches it for the first time is blown away by how energetic the games are and how intense the contact is.

WWR: What would you tell people who’ve never seen the sport before?

Erasmus: Get ready to be excited and inspired at the same time!

Nicholas: I would tell anyone that has not seen the sport of wheelchair rugby before that it is something that everyone should experience. Watch one game and you will be hooked.

WWR: What do you see for the future of the sport? For the future of WWR?

Erasmus: The sport of Wheelchair Rugby will continue to grow, and I hope that further development will be soon possible again in the developing nations.

Nicholas: I see the future of the sport as one that sees more countries and therefore more athletes from across the globe participating, and eventually, just like Denmark, who have the opportunity to debut at the Paralympics.

Wheelchair Rugby provides a ton of fun and excitement to fans watching matches. But to those involved with the sport, it provides so much more. When you talk to the players, coaches and support staff, they all say the same thing–wheelchair rugby is family.

Here are the stories of those who bring the game to life.

Jon Corson

• Vice Chair WWR Technical Committee
• Head Official Tokyo Paralympics
• Assistant Technical Delegate 2022 World Championships

Jon Corson is currently the Assistant Head of the WWR Technical Committee.  He has held various positions within the WWR including a rules committee member, Asia-Oceania Zone Technical Commissioner and Acting President Asia-Oceania. In Tokyo, Jon will serve as the Head Official for the Tokyo Paralympic Games and later, as the Assistant Technical Delegate for the 2022 World Championships in Denmark. Jon will head up the officiating team at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, Wheelchair Rugby Tournament.

WWR:  How did you first get involved with wheelchair rugby?

Corson: I was first introduced to wheelchair rugby at the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney. I watched the opening session to see what it was like and I was hooked! I ended up attending every session thereafter. When I moved to Brisbane, Australia the following year I volunteered with Sporting Wheelies where I was asked to help out refereeing.

WWR: What excited you about the sport?

Corson: The physical nature of the sport, with its full contact and the determination of those involved.

WWR: What do you like the most?

Corson: While the contact and physicality of the sport attracted me, it is the global friendships and nature of the wider sporting family that makes this sport one that I love.

WWR: What are you looking forward to in Tokyo?

Corson: Leading up to the Tokyo games the teams have become a lot closer in their competitiveness. This means all games at the tournament will be key and Tokyo 2020 could see a newcomer to the Paralympic Podium.

WWR: What would you tell people who’ve never seen the sport before?

Corson: Watch a game and be prepared to be energised. This game gets under your skin, challenges your mindset and is brutally contact oriented. Be prepared for winning at all costs.

WWR: What do you see for the future of the sport? For the future of WWR?

Corson: We have just changed our name to World Wheelchair Rugby with a new website and brand designed to showcase our athletes and continue growing our global family in all areas. We are the first sport to sell out to packed stadiums at Paralympics and want to bring rugby to all parts of the globe – it is a team sport that gives as much off court as on to those involved.

Paralympic Experience

• Two-time Paralympian (2012, 2016); Two-time medalist (1 bronze, 1 silver)
• London 2012 Paralympic Games, bronze
• Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, alternate

World Championship Experience

• Most recent: 2018 – bronze
• Years of participation: 2010, 2014, 2018
• Medals: 3 (1 gold, 2 bronze)
• Gold – 2010; Bronze – 2014, 2018

Joe Delagrave, who is a keynote speaker and coach of navy wounded warriors wheelchair rugby program, first learned about wheelchair rugby by searching for sports for quads. Then while watching the Beijing Paralympic Games, I realized it was a Paralympic sport. He decided then to make that his goal. Two years later he competed at the 2010 World Wheelchair Rugby Championships in Vancouver, Canada, where the U.S. won gold. Joe made his first Paralympic team at the 2012 Games in London.

How does an elite Paralympic athlete pack for competitions? We asked Joe Delagrave to share his tips for packing.

Joe Delagrave’s Pro tips for packing:

First, have your wife or significant other do it. Haha, just kidding.

For real though.

No. 1. I have a rectangular electronics bag that is small enough to fit in my backpack. I have all my cords and chargers in one spot, and it takes the headache out of forgetting to bring that one cord.

No. 2. I’m not a checklist guy, nope. However, I will run through my head what I have in three different areas. 1-My rugby gear, 2-My apparel for rugby, and 3-My clothes.

No. 3. I lay everything all out first before putting it into a suitcase. This way I can see everything I’ll put in there instead of being halfway through and thinking… ‘Did I actually put that in there?’

P.S. I always forget something

Check out more packing hacks and mistakes to avoid from these Travel + Leisure videos.