Wheelchair rugby

Wheelchair rugby

Wheelchair rugby, , is a team sport for athletes with a disability. It is currently practiced in over twenty countries around the world and is a Paralympic sport....

 at the 2008 Summer Paralympics

2008 Summer Paralympics

The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games, the thirteenth Paralympics, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to September 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao....

was held in the Beijing Science and Technology University Gymnasium

Beijing Science and Technology University Gymnasium

The Beijing Science and Technology University Gymnasium is an indoor arena located on the campus of the University of Science and Technology Beijing. The venue covers an area of 2.38 hectares and the total floor space of construction reaches 24,662 square metres. The seating capacity is 8,024...

 from 12 September to 16 September.

Medalists

Mixed team

Andy Cohn  Will Groulx Will Groulx Will Groulx is an American wheelchair rugby player and member of the United States wheelchair rugby team.He was part of the US team that took the gold medal at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, and a bronze medal in Athens in 2004.He served in the United States Navy from 1995 to 2001.In 2001,...   Scott Hogsett  Bryan Kirkland (captain) Norm Lyduch  Seth McBride  Jason Regier  Nick Springer  Chance Sumner  Joel Wilmoth  Mark Zupan  Coach: James Gumbert

Bryce Alman Bryce Alman Bryce Alman is a Paralympic wheelchair ruby union player from Australia. He won a silver medal at the 2000 Sydney Games in the mixed wheelchair rugby event.-References:...   Ryley Batt Ryley Batt Ryley Batt is from New South Wales. He was the youngest member ever to cap for the Australian Steelers in 2003, when he was only fifteen years old. From 2006 to 2010, for five years in a row, he was voted as the team's most valuable player. He competed in the 2010 World Rugby Wheelchair...   Grant Boxall Grant Boxall Grant Boxall is a Paralympic wheelchair rugby competitor from Australia.-Personal:Boxall was born on 19 July 1976. Grant was injured in a surfing accident near Yallingup, Western Australia, The night before the accident, he had promised his girlfriend he would not go surfing, but the following...   Shane Brand Shane Brand Shane Brand is a Paralympic swimming competitor from Australia. He won a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Games in the mixed wheelchair rugby event.-References:...   Cameron Carr Cameron Carr -Selected filmography:* The Woman Wins * A Great Coup * Trent's Last Case * The Loudwater Mystery * The Uninvited Guest * The Notorious Mrs. Carrick * The House of Marney...   Nazim Erdem Nazim Erdem Nazim Erdem is a Paralympic wheelchair ruby union player from Australia. He won a silver medal at the 2000 Sydney Games in the mixed wheelchair rugby event.-References:...   George Hucks George Hucks George Hucks is from South Australia. He was a member of the Australia national wheelchair rugby team. During a practice in Atlanta prior to the start of the 1996 Summer Paralympics, Hucks broke his kneecap. Hucks, from South Australia, was the team's best player. This was a major loss for the...   Steve Porter Steve Porter (rugby) Steve Porter is a Paralympic wheelchair ruby union player from Australia. He won a silver medal at the 2000 Sydney Games in the mixed wheelchair rugby event.-References:...  (captain) Ryan Scott Ryan Scott (rugby) Ryan Scott is a Paralympic swimming competitor from Australia. He won a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Games in the mixed wheelchair rugby event.-References:...   Greg Smith Greg Smith (wheelchair rugby player) Greg Smith is a Paralympic swimming competitor from Australia. He won a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Games in the mixed wheelchair rugby event.-References:...   Scott Vitale Scott Vitale Scott Vitale was a member of the Australian wheelchair rugby team which competed in the 2004 and 2008 Summer Paralympics.Scott Vitale was born to Jill and Phillip Vitale on 6 July 1985, in Queensland, Australia. He was involved in a motorbike accident in September 2001. Scott began to play...   Coach: Brad Dubberley Brad Dubberley Brad Dubberley is a Paralympic wheelchair ruby union player from Australia. He won a silver medal at the 2000 Sydney Games in the mixed wheelchair rugby event.-References:...

Ian Chan  Jason Crone  Jared Funk  Garett Hickling Garett Hickling Garett Hickling is a Canadian wheelchair rugby player. He is on the Canada national wheelchair rugby team and has been voted most valuable player on several World Championships...   Trevor Hirschfield  Fabien Lavoie  Say Luangkhamdeng  Daniel Paradis  Erika Schmutz  Patrice Simard  Mike Whitehead  David Willsie (captain) Coach: Benoit Labrecque

Classfication

Wheelchair rugby players were given a classification based on their upper body function. A committee gave each athlete a 7-level score ranging from 0.5 to 3.5, with lower scores corresponding to more severe disability. The sum score of all a team's players on the field could not exceed 8.

Teams

Eight teams took part in this sport. Each team could have up to 12 athletes, but no more than 11 of the team members could be male. Listed below are the eight teams and their method of qualifying for the Beijing Paralympics.

Team	Qualification
	Oceania Zonal Championship
	American Zonal Championship
	Host nation
	Europe Zonal Championship
	Europe Zonal Championship
	World Ranking
	World Ranking
	2006 World Wheelchair Rugby Championships

Competition format

The eight teams were divided into two even groups and participated in a single round robin tournament. The top two teams from each group went on to compete for 1st through 4th place, while the last two teams from each group competed for 5th through 8th place.

Group stage

Group A

Team	Wins	Losses	Points	vs. USA	vs. CAN	vs. JPN	vs. CHN
	3	0	146:99	-	37:32	44:37	65:30
	2	1	137:102	32:37	-	48:40	57:25
	1	2	132:130	37:44	40:48	-	55:38
	0	3	93:177	30:65	25:57	38:55	-

Group B

Team	Wins	Losses	Points	vs. AUS	vs. GBR	vs. NZL	vs. GER
	3	0	129:111	-	43:37	39:38	47:36
	2	1	115:116	37:43	-	39:38	39:35
	1	2	116:109	38:39	38:39	-	40:31
	0	3	102:126	36:47	35:39	31:40	-

Finals

5th to 8th place

Ranking

Place	Team
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

External links

• Official site of the 2008 Summer Paralympics