Wheelchair rugby team ready for World Championships

THE Irish Wheelchair Rugby team is in final training preparations ahead of their first ever Wheelchair Rugby World Championship which takes place in Sydney, from August 2–10.

The team dubbed #WheelsInGreen – who have been able to buy much needed sports equipment over the years thanks to National Lottery Good Causes funding – are appealing to the public to support their efforts with donations in the lead up to the tournament.

The team took part in its first ever Wheelchair Rugby World Championship qualifying tournament in Nottwil, Switzerland, in April. They won all of their matches, defeating New Zealand for the first time to complete a clean sweep of victories. John McCarthy, a member of the team, is appealing to the public to fund the trip to Sydney.

“We are very reliant on fundraising to cover the costs of this trip and we are doing everything from sponsored cycles, table quizzes and bucket collections to raise money,” he said,  

According to John, wheelchair rugby has played a huge part in his life since he became disabled after an accident at the age of 18. 

“Being able to play this sport gave me a new lease of life,” he said. “It has been a hugely important outlet and has helped me cope with my disability.”

John said wheelchair rugby is good for both the body and mind and is helping many Irish men and women put their lives back together and to focus on the future. 

He said the sport gets people active again, keeps them fit and instead of focusing on their disability players concentrate on doing well in a game with their team mates.

As reported in Northside People earlier this year, the Irish Wheelchair Rugby team received National Lottery Good Causes funding of €25,000 which goes towards the upkeep and purchase of specially designed wheelchairs which cost around €5,000 each for the sport. 

The National Lottery has also provided much needed funding for two of the wheelchair rugby clubs in Ireland – the Gaelic Warriors Wheelchair Rugby Club, based in Clontarf, and the first wheelchair rugby club in Ireland (€25,000), and to the Laois Lions, who got grants to the tune of €34,000 through Sports Capital Funding and HSE grants, all of which are part funded by National Lottery proceeds.

Dermot Griffin, chief executive of the National Lottery, wished the team all the best in Sydney.  

“To qualify for the world championships is a completely unprecedented feat,” said Mr Griffin. 

“All of us at the National Lottery are proud to support the game of wheelchair rugby, both the Irish national side and at club level.”

Wheelchair Rugby is a Paralympic Sport was first introduced to Ireland in 1997. Since then, Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA)-Sport as the national governing body for wheelchair rugby in Ireland has supported Irish players and clubs to grow the sport from grassroots level to compete and perform for Ireland at the highest international level.

The Irish squad comprising eight players and four staff have been preparing hard for the World Championship and face tough opponents in their opening game against Japan this Sunday, August 5). 

They have other pool games against Denmark, Sweden, New Zealand and hosts Australia.

To make a donation, and for further information about Wheelchair Rugby and the upcoming Gio 2018 IWRF Wheelchair Rugby World Championships visit:

https://iwasport.com/get-behind-the-wheels-in-green-this-summer/