Quad rugby – action packed recreation for a quadriplegic!

Wheelchair basketball is a popular sport for paraplegics. So what is the options for quadriplegic? Well, your answer is, Quad Rugby or wheelchair rugby as it is also called.
Developed by three Canadians as a quadriplegic equivalent to wheelchair basketball, this sport was originally called murder ball due to the aggressive nature of the game. Brad Mikkelsen who changed the game’s name from murder ball to quad rugby introduced it in the United States in 1981.

Players with various disabilities, who generally cannot participate in able-bodied sport competition, can play this game. Interestingly, players of Quad Rugby must have a combination of upper and lower extremity impairment to be considered as eligible to participate. Most of the players have sustained cervical level spinal injuries and are quadriplegic to some extent.

Players are given a classification number from one of seven classifications ranging from 0.5 - 3.5. The 0.5 players have the greatest impairment and are comparable to a C5 quadriplegic. Of those eligible to participate, the 3.5 player has the least impairment and is similar to a C7-8 incomplete quadriplegia patient. Both male and females are encouraged to play, and because of the classification process gender advantages don't exist.

Today, there are more than forty-five organized teams in the United States with many others in the developmental stage. In addition to the teams in the US, there is estimated to be at least twenty international teams from as far away as Australia in addition to those in Canada. Without question, quad rugby is the fastest growing wheelchair sport in the world today for a quadriplegic.

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