Written by Marie Aka
We all know that 2024 was a very busy year, and what an amazing year it has been! Let’s take a moment to reflect on this incredible journey and all we have accomplished.
2024 featured a series of exciting international tournaments across multiple countries. Spain kicked off the year with a victory at the International Wheelchair Rugby Tournament, defeating Poland in a thrilling final. The 2024 WWR Paralympic Qualification Tournament in New Zealand saw Australia, Canada and Germany secure spots for the Paris 2024 Paralympics. In Denmark, the USA won the Musholm Cup, while Japan triumphed at the Quad Nations in Wales. Japan also claimed the Canada Cup, before dominating at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, securing gold ahead of the USA and Australia. The European Championship Division B in Finland saw Poland top the podium, while the International Development Clinic in Bali focused on growing wheelchair rugby in Asia. Colombia won the 4 Nações Sul Americanas tournament, and the year concluded with the Women’s Cup in Paris, where Team Energie emerged victorious. Throughout the year, tournaments helped refine team strategies, fostered regional growth, and provided athletes with valuable competition as they prepared for the upcoming Paralympic Games.
🟠 The International Wheelchair Rugby Tournament
Madrid, Spain – 17th to 18th February
Podium:
🥇Spain
🥈Poland
🥉Czechia
The year started in Spain with the International Wheelchair Rugby Tournament. The first day was completely dominated by Poland, closely followed by Spain. But on the second day, the hosts, Spain, took the lead over Poland in the final and won the competition.
Marc Subiron from Spain says:
“Winning the first international wheelchair rugby tournament in Madrid meant a lot for the Spanish team. Not only because the team continues demonstrating that Spanish players are competitive at the international level, but also because of how the championship was achieved through a great final against Poland, who had recently become Euro B champions. As a member of the squad, I was really happy with how we pushed the entire team together to achieve this important result for the year. In addition, this was the first time Madrid held an international-level tournament, and we hope it won’t be the last. Inviting other European countries and playing at home is definitely a big step for Spain’s growth in the rugby community.”
🟠 2024 WWR Paralympic Qualification Tournament
Wellington, New Zealand – 20th to 24th March
Nations: Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands, Canada, Germany, Brazil, Colombia, Switzerland
Podium:
🥇Australia
🥈Canada
🥉Germany
Eight teams travelled to the new home of Wellington rugby at the New Zealand Campus of Innovation and Sport. This was the first time New Zealand had hosted a major international wheelchair rugby tournament since the 2017 Asia-Oceania Tournament in Auckland. This competition was the last chance for teams to secure one of the three spots for the Paris 2024 Paralympics. The pressure was at its highest throughout the tournament. Australia and Canada secured their spots for the Paralympics by finishing first and second. Finally, Germany clinched the last European spot for the Paralympics.
Ella Sabljak from Australia says:
“Qualifying for the Paralympic Games at the New Zealand repechage tournament was such an incredible moment. All the hard work, early mornings, and tough training sessions felt so worth it when we realized we’d done it. Sharing that with my teammates, who gave everything they had, made it even more special—it was pure joy.”
🟠 2024 Musholm Cup
Korsør, Denmark – 29th to 31st March
Nations: USA, Denmark, Great Britain
Podium:
🥇USA
🥈Great Britain
🥉Denmark
The host nation Denmark, ranked 7th in the world, welcomed 2020 Paralympic champions Great Britain and 2020 Paralympic silver medalists USA to the Musholm Cup. This tournament was a great opportunity for all teams to try out new strategies and experience the opponents they will face in Paris during the Paralympics. USA took the lead and won the competition.
Mason Symons from Team USA says:
“This tournament was a great opportunity to experiment with different lineups and new team concepts. We had a great time, and the accommodations were top-notch.”
🟠 2024 Quad Nations
Cardiff, Wales – 16th to 18th April
Nations: Great Britain, USA, Japan, France
Podium:
🥇Japan
🥈USA
🥉Great Britain
The Quad Nations, a competition well-known to everyone, returned this year with the four teams that were the first to qualify for the Paris 2024 Paralympics:
2020 Paralympic champions Great Britain, 2023 European champions France, 2023 Asia-Oceania champions Japan, and 2023 Parapan American champions USA. Despite fierce competition, this prelude to the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games was a good opportunity for the four teams to evaluate their preparation. Japan placed first, followed by the USA and Great Britain.
Ryuji Kusaba from Japan says:
“In 2023, I had the opportunity to participate in my first international tournament overseas, and I was also able to compete in the first international tournament of 2024. The games highlighted many personal challenges, but I will continue to work hard in my daily training to improve and build on this experience for the future.”
🟠 2024 Canada Cup
Richmond Olympic Oval, BC, Canada – 3rd to 9th June
Nations: Great Britain, Australia, Japan, Canada, USA, France
Podium:
🥇Japan
🥈Australia
🥉Great Britain
The Canada Cup was the last international tournament before the Paralympics, offering teams one final opportunity to measure their readiness. Japan came to defend their 2023 title, and they succeeded in doing so. World champions Australia placed second, followed by the 2020 Paralympic gold medalists Great Britain.
Hitoshi Ogawa from Japan says:
“The tournament was intense, as it also served as the final selection for the Paralympics. I was thrilled to see Japan win the championship, and I was honored to receive the Best Player Award. Although we finished with a perfect record, there is still a lot of potential for Japan to become even stronger.”
🟠 Paris 2024 Paralympic Games
Paris, France – 29th August to 2nd September
Nations: Australia, USA, Japan, France, Canada, Great Britain, Denmark, Germany
Podium:
🥇Japan
🥈USA
🥉Australia
The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games welcomed 83,141 spectators over the five days of competition, with 95% of the sessions sold out or nearly sold out. The atmosphere was absolutely amazing, and we witnessed some of the most exciting games in the history of the sport, held at the beautiful Champ de Mars venue next to the Eiffel Tower.
With four games per day, the competition was intense, and the suspense remained high until the very end. After not winning gold at Tokyo 2020, Japan took the lead in the final, beating USA, the most decorated Paralympic wheelchair rugby team. After winning three silver medals, Team USA is already aiming for gold at LA28.
Katsuya Hashimoto from Japan says:
“The support I received has been an incredible source of strength for me. Winning the gold medal has given me a new perspective—one that can only be gained through such an achievement. I will continue striving toward my goal of becoming the ‘world’s best player.'”
🟠 2024 WWR European Championship Division B
Lahti, Finland – 29th September to 7th October
Nations: Sweden, Poland, Italy, Spain, Austria, Czechia, Finland, Israel
Podium:
🥇Poland
🥈Sweden
🥉Italy
Eight teams from Europe travelled to the Pajulahti Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Finland to compete for a spot in Division A. The host nation Finland claimed 7th place after a tough battle against Austria. The 5v6 battle between Israel and Spain was a very close game that almost went into overtime, but Spain won by just one point. Poland won three out of four games and clinched the gold after a powerful battle against Sweden. The top two teams, Poland and Sweden, earned their spots in Division A, while Italy also advanced to Division A after taking bronze. Finland, Austria, and Israel dropped down to Division C.
🟠 International Development Clinic
Bali – 9th to 12th October
WWR recently hosted a leadership development clinic in Bali, Indonesia, supported by BSF Indonesia and IPC funding, with workshops led by experts in coaching, technical officiating, and classification. The clinic, which involved 24 participants from six countries, aimed to support Asia’s participation in the 2026 Para Asian Games and foster regional growth, with ongoing initiatives including training camps, local wheelchair manufacturing, and coaching development.
🟠 4 Nações Sul Americanas
Niteroi, Brazil – 16th to 19th October
Nations: Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile
Podium:
🥇Colombia
🥈Brazil
🥉Argentina
The training week for development hosted the South American Wheelchair Rugby 4 Nations tournament, which included teams from Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, and Chile. This event promoted mobility and brought visibility to the sport. Colombia placed first, followed by Brazil and Argentina.
Julian Vargas Lopez from the Colombian team says:
“The tournament was at a great level. Each country brought new players in preparation for upcoming international competitions. I think this serves a lot for the growth of the sport in the region.”
🟠 Rugbymania 2024
Prague, Czech Republic – 14th to 16th November
The 25th edition of Rugbymania brought together 12 exciting teams divided into two leagues. The players on these teams came from all over the world, including Finland, Sweden, Poland, Austria, the Netherlands, Germany, the Czech Republic, South Korea, Denmark, Luxembourg, and the United States. Rugbymania 2024 also hosted a WWR classification and Referee Clinic. The tournament started on Thursday with the first league matches, played in a round-robin format. The second league began on Friday with teams divided into two groups, followed by the semi-finals and placement games on Saturday. Strong players were present in both leagues, and the games were absolutely thrilling to watch!
Davy Van Den Dop, MVP of the tournament, says:
“I was surprised because the finals didn’t go too well, but that’s alright. I appreciate the people who voted for me! I must say, the MVP award should be a bit more divided. It’s almost never awarded to a low-point player, and I think Florian Bongard was the MVP for the Red Lions. He did a very, very impressive job. I hope in the future we can hand out more titles.”
🟠 Shibuya Cup 2024
Shibuya, Japan – 18th to 20th November
Nations: Japan, Australia
The Shibuya Cup hosted four games between Australia and Japan. The Australian development team started strong with two wins over Japan in the first two games. The third game ended with a win for Japan after two overtimes! The Shibuya Cup closed with a final win for Australia.
🟠 Wheelchair Rugby Women’s Cup 2024
Paris, France – 2nd to 8th December
The Women’s Cup is currently the only international event for female wheelchair rugby players. Since its debut in 2015, the event has grown significantly. The 4th edition welcomed 60 athletes from 18 countries, divided into 8 teams. Great Britain, who won every game they played last year and were the champions to beat, ended up in 3rd place and took bronze against France in a very close game. Team Energie won the final with a score of 52-37!
Anne-Elizabeth d’Acremont from France says:
“It was an intense competition with several high-level matches, bringing together around sixty athletes from 18 nationalities. The tournament allowed many players to gain experience and face strong teams. Thanks to the CAPSAAA club for organizing this event that helps develop women’s wheelchair rugby.”
François Van ZonUntil next year, Wheelchair Rugby fans!