Wheelchair rugby is a sport with national representation at the Paralympic games. The Australian Team is known as the 'Steelers'.[1]
Australia has competed at every Paralympics Games since the sport gained full Paralympic Medal status at the 2000 Summer Paralympics.[2] The Steelers also competed in the 1996 Summer Paralympics where wheelchair rugby was a demonstration sport.[3] The 'Steelers' defeated Canada at the 2012 London Games to win its first gold medal.[4] In 2014, it won its first World Championship by defeating Canada. In winning the world championship, the Steelers became the second nation in history to hold both the Paralympic and world championship titles concurrently.[5]
Wheelchair Rugby Australia (WRA) established in 2022 is responsible for the development and growth of the sport of wheelchair rugby in Australia.[6] The sport is not included at the Special Olympics or the Deaflympics.[7]
Wheelchair rugby Atlanta Paralympics (11)Brad Dubberley Head Coach since 2006
The game
The sport is one of the few contact sports available for wheelchair sport athletes and was originally known as "Murderball".[2] It was developed in Canada during the 1970s and made its way to Australia in 1981.[8]
The sport uses a volleyball for the ball and combines elements of basketball, soccer and ice hockey. The game is played on a basketball sized court.[9] Each team has four players on the court at any one time.[2] It has drawn large crowds at events such as the Paralympics.
Athlete classifications
Wheelchair Rugby is open to athletes with quadriplegia.[10] Athletes competing in wheelchair rugby are classified according to their ability. Players are classified using a points system starting at 0.5 for athletes with the least ability through to 3.5 for athletes with the most ability.[10]
A team can have four players on the court but must not exceed 8 classification points (the combined total of the player's individual classifications).[10]
Australian Wheelchair Rugby team at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympics
Australia represented by: Men – Brett Boylan (2.0), Garry Croker (1.0), Andrew Greenaway (1.5), Rodney Hamilton, David Jacka (0.5), Peter Lock (2.5), Steve Porter (2.5), Baden Whitehead (2.0) ; Coaches – Darryl Wingard (head coach) .
Wheelchair rugby was a demonstration sport at the 1996 Summer Paralympics. George Hucks was a member of the Australian team. During a practice in Atlanta prior to the start of the games, Hucks broke his kneecap. Hucks, from South Australia, was the team's best player. This was a major loss for the team. Hucks was flown home and another player was flown into Australia to replace him. Australia did not win a single match in wheelchair rugby. They lost to New Zealand 23–39, to Great Britain 33–34, to Canada 24–39, to the USA 18–31 and to Sweden 25–29.[11] Wheelchair rugby at the 1996 Summer Paralympics for detailed results.
2000 Sydney
Silver medal winning Australian wheelchair rugby "Steelers" at their medal presentation ceremony at the 2000 Sydney Paralympic Games
Three of the team made their Paralympic debut and Steve Porter attended his fourth Games. The Steelers won the silver medal losing to the United States 53–44 in the final.[17] Wheelchair rugby at the 2008 Summer Paralympics for detailed results.
2012 London
Team co-captains - Cameron Carr and Ryan Scott - interviewed after winning 2012 Team of the Year at the Australian Paralympian of the Year ceremony
Australia represented by: Men - Wayne Sweeney (0.5), David Jacka (0.5), Andrew Greenaway (1.5), Bruce Stark (1.5), Ian Simpson (2.0), Justin Lunn (2.0), Steve Porter (2.5), Peter Lock (2.5), George Hucks (3.0)
Officials - Sam Allan - Manager, Victoria Kahn - Physiotherapist, Lewis Quinn - Performance Analyst, Bill Roberts - Mechanic, Scott Curtis - Physiotherapist, David Sculac - Personal Carer, Angela Mansell - Personal Carer, Tim Mannion - Media
^Media Guide Beijing 2008(PDF). Sydney: Australian Paralympic Committee. 2008. Archived from the original(PDF) on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 17 December 2015.