Wheelchair rugby is a mix of rugby, handball and volleyball. It is held at the Arena du Champ de Mars during these Paris Games.
Wheelchair rugby is a sport created in Canada in the 1970s and first entered the Olympic program in 1996 in Atlanta. It is a contact sport that combines movements from rugby, handball and a volleyball. In this discipline, the aim is to score tries in a match of four eight-minute quarters, on a basketball-sized court, in a mixed team of four against four.
Each possession lasts a maximum of 40 seconds, during which time the player must cross the halfway line in a maximum of 12 seconds and bounce or pass the ball every 10 seconds. Due to the high number of contacts, the chairs are adapted with a rigid and reinforced frame, an anti-tip wheel and a double bumper. The chairs are also different between offensive and defensive players. While defenders have a chair designed to stop opponents, the attackers’ chair is lighter and faster. Unlike rugby, players can pass forward.
Wheelchair rugby classifications
As with other team sports at the Paralympics, wheelchair rugby players are awarded a number of points, between 0.5 and 3.5, depending on their disability. Each team cannot exceed a total of eight points with all four players on the field.
The wheelchair rugby program
Wheelchair rugby will take place from August 29 to September 2 at the Arena du Champ de Mars.
Thursday August 29
- 11:30: Australia – Great Britain
- 1:30 p.m.: United States – Canada
- 5:30 p.m.: France – Denmark
- 7:30 p.m.: Japan – Germany
Friday August 30
- 11:30: Great Britain – Denmark
- 1:30 p.m.: United States – Japan
- 5:30 p.m.: Germany – Canada
- 7:30 p.m.: Australia – France
Saturday August 31
- 11:30: Germany – United States
- 1:30 p.m.: Denmark – Australia
- 5:30 p.m.: Canada – Japan
- 7:30 p.m.: Great Britain – France
Sunday September 1st
- 11:30 a.m.: Classification match
- 1:30 p.m.: Semi-final
- 5:30 p.m.: Classification match
- 7:30 p.m.: Semi-final
Monday September 2nd
- 11:30 a.m.: Match for 7th and 8th place
- 1:30 p.m.: Bronze medal match
- 5:30 p.m.: Match for 5th and 6th place
- 7:30 p.m.: Gold Medal Match