World Wheelchair Rugby is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Christopher White as its new Chief Medical Officer.
Dr White is Chair of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He completed his medical degree at the University of Oklahoma, followed by specialist training in Internal Medicine, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and a fellowship in Spinal Cord Injury Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin.
He has worked across a range of clinical settings, including Baylor Scott and White in Dallas, Froedtert Hospital, and the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center, with a career focused on spinal cord injury care, rehabilitation, and adaptive sport. He is also committed to educating future specialists in the field.
Dr White has extensive experience in adaptive sport at the local, national, and international level. He regularly provides medical coverage to his local adaptive sports partners including coverage for wheelchair basketball, American football, lacrosse, pickleball, and of course, his favourite adaptive sport, Wheelchair Rugby of which he is also a Level 1 Classifier. He has served on the medical team for the National Veterans Wheelchair Games and as a member of the National Classification team for the National Veterans Wheelchair Games as well. As a member of the USA Wheelchair Football Classification team, he was involved in establishing the classification scheme as the new sport was established. He remains actively involved in clinical research related to adaptive athletes including collision/impact studies for wheelchair rugby athletes and concussion testing for adaptive athletes
As CMO, Dr White will provide strategic medical guidance to WWR, supporting athlete welfare, anti-doping, and medical best practice across wheelchair rugby.
WWR looks forward to Dr White’s contribution to the continued development of the sport.
The WWR President is speaking at IWG’s Global Summit – will you join him?
Richard Allcroft OBE said “I’m proud to be part of the first wave of speakers announced for the IWG Global Summit 2026 – a defining global moment for women and girls in sport.”
Positioned as the Davos of Women’s Sport, the Summit will bring together a powerful international network of leaders, academics, practitioners and changemakers who are ready to move from conversation to action.
Join us as we share, connect and shape more and better opportunities for women and girls in and through sport.
The IWG Global Summit promises to be the world’s foremost gathering of leaders in sport, providing a platform for sharing best practices and the latest insights affecting women and girls in sport and physical activity.
Set against a moment of unprecedented opportunity, the Summit will serve as a catalyst for change – accelerating progress, challenging the status quo and uniting global voices around a common goal.
Our ambition is clear: to establish the Summit as the ‘Davos of Women’s Sport’ – the place where the world’s sport leaders, thinkers and changemakers come together to shape the future of gender equality in sport on a global scale.
Staged across three dynamic days, the Summit will provide an unparalleled opportunity to engage, learn and network with senior decision-makers and policymakers – and to be part of the solution in creating a sporting system where all women and girls can thrive.
Dr Lindsay Starling is Science and Medical Manager at World Rugby, where she connects research, policy and practice to advance player welfare. With a PhD focused on head injuries in rugby, she has led injury surveillance and research initiatives across international rugby organisations and continues to support evidence-based approaches to injury prevention.
Focus:
This presentation will provide a strategic overview of the evolution of concussion management in able-bodied rugby, highlighting the key milestones that have shaped current practice. It will explore how approaches have progressed across the system, including developments in injury surveillance, pitch-side assessment protocols, graduated return-to-play frameworks, education strategies, governance structures, and law adaptations.
A central focus will be on implementation, examining how research has translated into policy, and how policy has been embedded into practice across different levels of the game. The session will consider the factors that have enabled or challenged adoption, including stakeholder engagement, global dissemination, technology integration, and monitoring of effectiveness.
Finally, the presentation will reflect on how elements of this journey may be transferable to para-sport and wheelchair rugby contexts, while also aligning with World Rugby’s current strategic priorities and future directions for research and player welfare.
In 2026, Colombia was confirmed by the international federation as the host of the repechage tournament that will award quotas to the Wheelchair Rugby World Cup, which will be played in August in Brazil.
The event will be held in Medellín and will feature the participation of teams from New Zealand, Thailand, Korea, Holland, Switzerland, Argentina, Chile and Colombia.
This event represents a historic milestone as it will be the first time that the country hosts an international competition of this magnitude in this discipline.
The Innovation Table of the Global Compact Red Colombia is an ally to accompany the academic day of the Rugby World Cup to be held in Medellín.
Paralympic sport not only breaks records, it breaks prejudices. In Colombia, wheelchair rugby is consolidated as a high-performance discipline that promotes inclusion, equity and social development, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.
Sport as a driver of inclusion and human development
Sport has historically been a powerful tool for social transformation. Beyond competition, it represents a space for meeting, recognition and construction of citizenship. In the case of Paralympic sport, its impact is even more profound: not only does it encourage healthy habits and high performance, but it also challenges historical narratives of exclusion towards people with disabilities.
According to the United Nations (UN), more than 1,300 million people in the world live with some type of disability, which is equivalent to approximately 16% of the global population. However, this group faces greater barriers to accessing sports, education, employment and community life. In this context, adapted sport becomes a strategic tool to advance SDGs 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and SDG 17 (Partnerships to achieve the Goals).
Structural challenges of Paralympic sport
Despite its social impact, Paralympic sport faces significant challenges at global and regional levels. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has pointed out that one of the main challenges is the funding gap compared to conventional sport, which limits access to infrastructure, specialised sports technology and high-level preparation processes.
Other key challenges include:
Low media visibility, which reduces opportunities for sponsorship and social recognition.
Limited access to adapted sports venues, especially in middle-income countries.
Lack of specialized training for coaches, referees and technical staff.
Persistence of social stigmas, which continue to associate disability with dependency and not with high performance.
According to the IPC, only a fraction of athletes with disabilities manage to access international competitions, despite the talent and discipline that characterize these athletes. 👉 https://www.paralympic.org/
Colombia and the development of Paralympic sport
In Colombia, Paralympic sport has experienced significant advances in the last decade. The Colombian Ministry of Sports has strengthened programs to support adapted sports, recognizing it as an axis of social inclusion and peacebuilding. According to official figures, the country has increased investment in Paralympic processes and has achieved outstanding participation in Parapan American and Paralympic Games.
However, challenges remain related to the financial sustainability of sports processes, the decentralization of the offer and the articulation with the private and academic sector.
Wheelchair rugby: high performance, inclusion and social development in Colombia
What is wheelchair rugby?
Wheelchair rugby is a high-performance Paralympic sport played by people with physical disabilities that compromise all four limbs, such as spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy, multiple amputations or neuromuscular diseases. It is played on an indoor court and pits two teams of four players against each other, combining regulated contact, strategy and high physical and mental demand.
Beyond competition, this discipline has established itself as a platform for inclusion, visibility of capabilities and promotion of values such as discipline, teamwork and resilience.
How is wheelchair rugby practiced and structured?
The objective of the game is to score points by crossing the goal line with the ball under control, using sports chairs designed for contact. The matches are played in four eight-minute halves and require strength, speed, coordination, tactical reading and decision-making under pressure.
To ensure competitive fairness, athletes are functionally classified according to their level of mobility. The sum of the functional scores of the four players on the court cannot exceed a limit established by the international federation.
In Colombia, the development of wheelchair rugby is structured through regional clubs, youth training processes, national championships and the progressive professionalization of coaches and athletes.
Case Spotlight | From abandonment to international high performance
The human dimension of wheelchair rugby is reflected in the life trajectories of its athletes. An outstanding player of the Colombian National Team lived a childhood marked by the absence of family and by a multiple amputation suffered at the age of seven, which included the loss of both legs and an arm. He grew up in adverse conditions and faced multiple difficulties during his personal formation process.
When he came of age, his life took a new direction when he was introduced to wheelchair rugby. What began as an opportunity for physical activity and community, became a life project. Thanks to discipline, perseverance and teamwork, he managed to join the Colombian National Team and represent the country in international competitions in North America and Europe.
Today, his performance has positioned him as one of the benchmarks of wheelchair rugby at an international level, reaching the first place in his position, demonstrating that high performance is built with character, preparation and vision of the future.
Evolution and international projection
Wheelchair rugby arrived in Colombia around 2007. Since then, a sustained sports process has been consolidated that has allowed the training of athletes and the participation of the Colombian National Team in international competitions with outstanding results.
In 2026, Colombia was confirmed by the international federation as the host of the repechage tournament that will award quotas to the Wheelchair Rugby World Cup, which will be played in August in Brazil. The event will be held in Medellín and will feature the participation of teams from New Zealand, Thailand, Korea, Holland, Switzerland, Argentina, Chile and Colombia.
This event represents a historic milestone as it will be the first time that the country hosts an international competition of this magnitude in this discipline.
Social, strategic and business value
Wheelchair rugby generates significant impacts in multiple dimensions:
Social: promotes inclusion, the visibility of functional diversity and respect for the rights of people with disabilities.
Academic: promotes research in adapted sports, rehabilitation and inclusion.
Business: Offers shared value opportunities through sponsorships aligned with sustainability, equity, and human development.
Gender equity: from 2026 onwards, the formation of the first women’s wheelchair rugby team in Colombia will be promoted.
Conclusions | A call to support wheelchair rugby
Wheelchair rugby is not just a sport: it is a strategy for social transformation, a school of leadership and a concrete example of how the SDGs can be materialised in the territory.
Supporting this team means:
Invest in real inclusion, not symbolic inclusion.
Strengthen high-performance processes with social impact.
Betting on narratives that recognize capacities and not limitations.
Build alliances that leave a legacy.
On a court where everyone counts, wheelchair rugby proves that inclusion is also played at a high level.
Within the framework of the Qualifying Tournament for the 2026 Wheelchair Rugby World Championship – which will be held from April 12 to 19 (or 20) 2026 in Medellín, with the Iván de Bedout Coliseum as its main venue – the city becomes a living laboratory of social innovation where sport is no longer just competition and is consolidated as a real tool for social transformation. inclusion and sustainable development.
This high-level international event will not only bring together teams such as New Zealand, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Argentina, Chile and Colombia as the host country, but will also award three places to the 2026 Wheelchair Rugby World Championship, positioning Medellín as a key epicenter of adapted sport in the region.
Colombia’s participation in this scenario comes after securing its place in the playoffs thanks to its performance in the Copa América 2025, thus consolidating a sporting process that also reflects progress in inclusion and social development in the country.
Dominic Malcolm is Professor of Sociology of Sport at Loughborough University. His qualitative research on concussion spans rugby union, football, wrestling and student sport. He is author of The Concussion Crisis in Sport (Routledge, 2020) and is currently co-editing The Routledge Handbook of Sport, Concussion and Brain Injury.
Focus:
Explore sociocultural aspects of concussion prevention and management. In recent years there has been a growing awareness of the necessity of addressing sociocultural factors related to concussion. In this respect qualitative health research has a unique role to play in revealing how beliefs about concussion are constructed by athletic populations, how social relations mediate the impact of medical and health interventions.
While this work has led to numerous calls for better concussion education and guidance, this presentation argues that these interventions are necessary but unlikely to be sufficient to invoke substantive change. The presentation ends by considering the parameters of a more holistic notion of cultural change and how this might begin to work within the para-sport context.
Clinical Neuropsychologist & Assistant Professor, University of Virginia
Managing Board Member, Concussion in Para Sport Group
Dr. Racheal Smetana is a Clinical Neuropsychologist at the University of Virginia, where she cares for adolescents and adults who have had sport-related concussions. Her research is focused on developing high-quality concussion assessments for para athletes. She has published and presented widely on her research and clinical care considerations for concussion.
Proposed focus:
This session will provide an overview of the evolution of concussion understanding and management in para sport, with emphasis on the work of the Concussion in Para Sport (CIPS) Group. Drawing on clinical and research expertise, the session will highlight key milestones that shaped the field, including emerging epidemiological data and the development of the first international position statement led by CIPS. The session will also emphasize calls to action, such as the need for adapted assessment approaches and increased inclusion in research, and how these are important for wheelchair rugby.
Eric Post, PhD, ATC is the Manager of Sports Medicine Research at the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), where he leads injury and illness surveillance and concussion research for Team USA. He is co-Principal Investigator of the Para SCAT6 initiative, which is developing and validating concussion assessment tools for Para sport athletes.
Focus:
The Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT6) is widely used in elite sport but has not been adapted or validated for Para athletes, a gap that represents both a clinical challenge and an issue of equity. This presentation will introduce the Para SCAT6-Wheelchair (WC) initiative: an evidence-informed project to develop, validate, and establish the reliability and clinical utility of a modified SCAT6 for athletes who use wheelchairs as their primary means of mobility.
I will describe the collaborative development summit held at USOPC headquarters in February 2025, which brought together 20 international experts, including clinicians, researchers, and Para athletes, to generate the first draft of the Para SCAT6-WC. I will outline the three key areas of modification (demographic/functional assessments, coordination and balance testing, and postural control and vestibular-ocular components), share lessons learned from the development process, and preview next steps including content validation, reliability testing, and prospective clinical evaluation.
Dr Tom O’Brien is a Lecturer in Applied Disability and Para Sport at Loughborough University, specialising in performance optimisation within Paralympic sport through integrated physiological, biomechanical, and data-driven approaches. Alongside his academic role, he has extensive applied experience within wheelchair rugby, having supported the GB Wheelchair Rugby programme across the Tokyo and Paris Paralympic cycles as part of the multidisciplinary team, leading sports science and strength and conditioning provision.
His applied work has included athlete profiling, fitness testing, and the design and delivery of tailored training, recovery, and performance monitoring interventions, contributing to performance outcomes at the highest level. He has also led innovation and knowledge exchange initiatives with national and international governing bodies, translating research into practical tools for athletes, coaches, and practitioners.
His current research focuses on advancing data-informed practice in wheelchair sports, including mobility performance analytics, fatigue monitoring, and concussion research. In particular, his work aims to better understand the forces experienced by wheelchair athletes and their relationship to concussion risk, with the goal of informing prevention and management strategies.
Tom will act as chair and facilitator throughout the webinar, guiding discussion across sessions and drawing connections between presentations. He will contribute applied practitioner insight from wheelchair rugby concussion management and return-to-play decision-making, and will lead the final discussions to identify shared research priorities and opportunities for future collaboration.
World Wheelchair Rugby (WWR) has announced a new opportunity for a Program Manager to support its international programs, with a strong focus on global development and gender equity.
The role, offered as a full-time remote contract, will play a key part in strengthening the sport worldwide. The successful candidate will support competition development, including pathways to the Paralympic Games and World Championships, while also helping develop new events and maintain global rankings.
In addition to supporting competitions, the Program Manager will support initiatives aimed at expanding participation—particularly among women—by working closely with WWR’s Women’s Advisory Group. The role also involves collaborating with international partners, regional leaders, and working groups to grow the sport and improve communication across member nations.
A significant part of the position includes identifying funding opportunities, managing program budgets, and delivering an annual operational plan aligned with WWR’s strategic goals.
WWR is looking for candidates with experience in sports administration, strong communication skills, and the ability to manage multiple projects independently. Knowledge of parasport or wheelchair rugby is considered an advantage.
The three-year contract offers a salary of $50,000–$56,000 USD, with applications opening on March 18 and closing on April 12. The successful candidate is expected to begin in June 2026.
