“Murderball” comes to the Copper Box

Tickets have gone on sale for the inaugural BT World Wheelchair Rugby Challenge which will be held from 12-16th October at the Copper Box Area in Queen Elizabeth Park. The Cup brings together the World’s best “Murderball” teams. London 2012 Paralympic gold medallists Australia will be returning to the former Olympic Park, alongside silver medallists Canada and bronze medallists the USA. Hosts Great Britain look to capitalise on home support, while New Zealand, South Africa, Japan and France also have their eyes on victory.

Originating in Canada in the 1970s, wheelchair rugby developed from the “murderball” game – created by a group of disabled sports enthusiasts. One of the only full-contact disability sports, two teams of four aim to score by carrying the ball across the opposing team’s line. Players compete in specially-designed manual wheelchairs and must meet minimum disability criteria classifiable under the sport classification rules. Wheelchair rugby was first recognised as a full medal sport at the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney, Australia. It has since featured at the Paralympic Games in Athens in 2004, Beijing in 2008, and in London 2012.

There will  be plenty of TV coverage. ITV4 will show live evening matches, with five hours coverage each day. Their team will include presenter Martin Bayfield, the former England and British Lions player; Steve Brown, captain of the GB London 2012 Olympic Wheelchair Rugby team; former England and British Lions player Ugo Monye and reporter Rachael Latham. The commentary team will be Simon Ward and Mike Spence.

Suzy Goodman, Head of Brand Partnerships at BT Group Marketing and Brand, welcomed the news, saying, “BT has a long history of supporting disability sport and we’re proud to be helping Wheelchair Rugby to grow and engage new audiences. The BT World Wheelchair Rugby Challenge will be thrilling. It’s a fantastic opportunity for the GB squad to test themselves against some of the best teams in the world, and I urge people to buy tickets and get behind the team this October.”

For more information, go to: http://www.wwrc15.com/

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