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Wheelchair Rugby

wheelchair rugby

About the Game

Initially known as Murderball due to the aggressive nature of the sport, wheelchair rugby is a team contact sport based on the fact that all players have a combination of impaired upper and lower extremities. Most players suffer from a cervical spinal cord injury and have some sort of quadriplegia as an effect. It was first introduced to the US in 1981 by Brad Mikkelsen.

wheelchair rugbyEach player is given a classification number based off of his or her amount of function. Classification numbers range from 0.5 to 3.5 and increase in increments of 0.5; 0.5 being a player with the least function and 3.5 being a player with the most function. The classification numbers of the athletes on the court must add up to 8.0 for each team at any given time during the game.

The object of the game is to score a goal (1 point) by crossing the goal line with possession of the ball while the opposing team is defending that goal. The team with the most points when time runs out wins.

Partnership with the TIRR Texans

Although Adaptive Athletics at UH does not have its own wheelchair rugby team as of yet, we are partnered with the TIRR Texans to help expose our members to the sport. The TIRR Texans have supported Adaptive Athletics for years and come to almost all of our events. Our members have also had the opportunity to play alongside the athletes and learn about disability sport.

To learn more about the TIRR Texans, click here