Wheelchair Rugby

Rugby made its Paralympic debut as a demonstration event in Atlanta in 1996. It became a medal sport in Sydney in 2000, where the United States won the gold medal. The game was first developed in Canada as a team sport for quadriplegic athletes, and was originally known as "murderball" because of its intense physical nature. After being introduced in the United States, the name was changed to "quad rugby," but it is also commonly known as wheelchair rugby. Paralympic wheelchair rugby competition is open to male and femalte athletes with physical disabilities such as amputation/limbloss, spinal cord injury/wheelchair-users and cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke.