Article credit: Tracey Savell Reavis, @tsavellreavis
The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games will take place between Tuesday, August 24 and Sunday, September 5, one year later than originally scheduled because of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Opening Ceremonies will be held in the New Olympic Stadium, and the theme of the games is ‘United by Emotion’. The XVIth Summer Paralympic Games will consist of 22 sports. 162 National Paralympic Committees will be represented including the Refugee Paralympic team, with 4,403 athletes expected to be in attendance.
One of the sports competing is Wheelchair Rugby.
WHAT IS WHEELCHAIR RUGBY?
Wheelchair Rugby is a team sport for male and female athletes with a mobility-related disability in at least three limbs. Athletes who compete are classified as to their abilities under a classification system.
Players use custom-made sports wheelchairs that are specifically designed for wheelchair rugby. Key design features include a front bumper, designed to help strike and hold opposing wheelchairs, and wings, which are positioned in front of the main wheels to make the wheelchair more difficult to stop and hold. Wheelchair rugby is a full contact sport. However, penalties are given to athletes when contact is deemed dangerous.
The game is played with a round ball due to the unique nature of the sport and the athletes’ impairments, a round ball ensures that a game flows better due to the more predictable nature of the bounce, on a 28m x 15m court with try lines. Teams gain points by crossing the try line while they have possession of the ball. When in control of the ball players must dribble or pass it every 10 seconds. The ball may be passed, thrown, batted, rolled, dribbled, or carried in any direction subject to the restrictions that are in the rules. Games consist of four eight-minute quarters. A try is scored when a player in possession of the ball crosses the opposition’s try line with two wheels.
Wheelchair rugby is played in more than 40 countries with many others in development.
PAST AND PRESENT PARALYMPIC COMPETITIONS
The sport of Wheelchair Rugby was introduced as a demonstration sport at the Atlanta 1996 Paralympic Games. It became a full Paralympic sport at Sydney 2000.
The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic wheelchair rugby competition will feature eight teams competing for medals. Australia currently sits atop the World Wheelchair Rugby (WWR) world rankings. USA will seek a return to glory in Tokyo. Ranked second in the world, they lead the field, with three gold medals won in the six Paralympics that have been competed, including in Atlanta when wheelchair rugby debuted as a demonstration sport. But Australia are the defending gold medalists. They will be going for a hat-trick of Paralympic gold at Tokyo 2020, after taking the title at London 2012 and Rio 2016. Host country Japan, currently ranked third, are the reigning world champions. They were bronze medalists in Rio, and cannot be overlooked in this competition. Expect Team Great Britain, reigning European Champions, and ranked fourth, and Canada, ranked No. 5 in the world, and coming off a silver medal performance at the Lima 2019 Parapan Am Games, sixth place finish at the 2018 World Championships and fourth at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, to compete for a place on the podium as well. Five different continents are represented in the world’s top 10.
Paralympic Gold Medal Winners
1996 / USA
2000 / USA
2004 / New Zealand
2008 / USA
2012 / Australia
2016 / Australia
WHEELCHAIR RUGBY KEY FACTS AND FIGURES
- Number of teams competing in Tokyo – 8
- Days of tournament – 5
- Most Paralympic medals – USA with 6 (3 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze)
- Highest score in a Paralympic final – 2012, AUS defeated CAN, 66-51 to win gold
- Number of countries that have participated in Paralympics history – 13. Australia; Belgium; Brazil; Canada; China; France; Germany; Great Britain; Japan; New Zealand; Sweden; Switzerland; United States.
- Wheelchair rugby was the first sport to sell-out when tickets went on advance sale for the London 2012 Games.
- An elite wheelchair rugby player has to replace his wheelchair approximately every 18 months due to the damage it suffers from playing the sport.
- Wheelchair rugby is played indoors on a hard floor court 28 meters long by 15 meters wide.
- Affectionately known as “The Quad Father”, Canadian Duncan Campbell developed the basic rules and regulations of the game. In 2018, Campbell was the first individual to be inducted into the World Wheelchair Rugby Hall of Fame in recognition of his services to the sport.
- Yoyogi National Gymnasium, opened in 1964, will house the wheelchair rugby competition in Tokyo. The 13,291 seat arena hosted swimming and diving events in the 1964 Summer Olympics and handball competitions at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR IN TOKYO
Group A:
- Australia; Japan; France; Denmark
Group B:
- USA; New Zealand; Great Britain; Canada
Players
Team Australia: The Steelers
Australia are looking to three-peat in Tokyo and collect their third straight gold medal following wins in London and Brazil.
Key Players
Ryley Batt: the consensus best player in the world, Batt, playing in his fifth Paralympics, has the speed and strength to help Australia succeed.
Andrew Edmondson: made his Paralympics debut in Rio, and is one of the most consistent mid-point players in the game.
Team Canada: Équipe Canada
Always the bridesmaid, having won three silver medals, Canada are this close to capturing their first gold in Tokyo.
Key players
Patrice Dagenais: the co-captain of Canada and a defensive specialist known for his hard-work and on-court game smarts.
Patrice Simard: is the most experienced player in the squad with five previous Paralympic Games under his belt.
Team Japan
A third place world ranking, the 2018 world title and home country advantage, could add up to 2020 gold for Team Japan.
Key players
Kae Kurahashi: was the first female player to represent Japan in wheelchair rugby and was a key member of the team which won Worlds gold for the first time in the nation’s history in 2018.
Hitoshi Ogawa: is making his Paralympic debut in Tokyo, and is considered one of the young players on the Japanese team that make up the core of the next generation.
Team Great Britain
Though Great Britain have never medaled at the Paralympics, they are the reigning European Champions, and have a solid squad, with nine of 12 athletes having previous Games experience.
Key players
Kylie Grimes: The dual-sport double Paralympian is returning to wheelchair rugby in Tokyo, after first playing in 2012, and then participating in para athletics in 2016.
Gavin Walker: made his Paralympic debut at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games, and in 2019 helped lead the team to their third consecutive European title.
Team France: Les Bleus
France have never won a Paralympic medal, but took third place at the 2019 European Championships, and currently rank sixth in the world.
Key players
Cedric Nankin: made his Paralympic debut at Rio 2016, and was named the best 1.5 player at the 2018 World Championships and the 2019 European Championships.
Jonathan Hivernat: the captain of the French wheelchair rugby team since 2015, and one of the best European and international players.
Team Denmark:
Denmark will make their wheelchair rugby debut in Tokyo. They placed second in the 2019 European Championships to secure a berth in the 2020 Paralympics.
Key players
Mark Peters: starred at the Invictus Games as captain, and is known for both his speed and strength.
Sofie Skoubo: joined the Danish team as the lone female in 2018 in time for the IWRF World Championships.
Team USA:
USA ranked second in the world, boast the most Paralympic medals with six. But they have not taken the top prize since last winning gold in Beijing 2008.
Key players
Chad Cohn: will play in his third Paralympics, after making his debut in London, and has won a bronze and silver medal.
Joseph Jackson: is making his Paralympic Games debut in Tokyo, but has been a member of the USA Wheelchair Rugby team since 2017.
Team New Zealand: Wheel Blacks
The Wheel Blacks have tasted victory before, capturing the gold medal in Athens in 2004. But they did not qualify for the 2012 or 2016 Games.
Key players
Cody Everson: currently the Captain of the Wheel Blacks, and featured in the team’s bronze medal win over Republic of Korea at the 2019 Asia-Oceania Championships that qualified the team for Tokyo.
Gavin Rolton: the defensive specialist, who joined the Wheel Blacks in 2009, will finally get to help his team as they hope to capture a Paralympic medal.
WHEN TO WATCH
The Paralympics Wheelchair Rugby competition will take place from August 25 through August 29, at the Yoyogi National Stadium. *All times are Japan Standard Time (JST)
The Paralympic Games are available at www.paralympics.org
Wheelchair Rugby Schedule
Day 1:
Wed. 25 Aug. 11:30 – 15:45
- Group B, United States vs New Zealand
- Group A, Australia vs Denmark
Wed. 25 Aug. 17:30 – 21:45
- Group B, Great Britain vs Canada
- Group A, Japan vs France
Day 2:
Thu. 26 Aug. 11:30 – 15:45
- Group B, Canada vs United States
- Group A, Japan vs Denmark
Thu. 26 Aug. 17:30 – 21:45
- Group A, France vs Australia
- Group B, Great Britain vs New Zealand
Day 3:
Fri. 27 Aug. 11:30 – 15:45
- Group A, Denmark vs France
- Group A, Australia vs Japan
Fri. 27 Aug. 17:30 – 21:45
- Group B, United States vs Great Britain
- Group B, New Zealand vs Canada
Day 4:
Sat. 28 Aug. 11:30 – 16:00
- 7th-8th classification
- Semifinal 1
Sat. 28 Aug. 17:30 – 21:45
- Semifinal 2
- 5th-6th classification
Day 5:
Sun. 29 Aug. 14:00 – 16:00
Sun. 29 Aug. 18:00 – 20:15
- Gold Medal Game
- Victory Ceremony
