John Bishop and Reg Clark at the conclusion of the USA VS Japan match
Following discussions at successive IRB manufacturers meetings, Rhino CEO Reg Clark was a guest of International Wheelchair Rugby Federation President John Bishop at the Great Britain vs France and USA vs Japan games at the Olympic Park Basketball Arena last week.
Wheelchair Rugby is making great progress as an international sport and Rhino is fully backing the IWRF in its quest to hold a parallel tournament in London during the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
The game, originally called ‘Murderball’ was invented in Canada in 1976, and is known as Quad Rugby in the USA based on the fact that all wheelchair rugby players need to have disabilities that include at least some loss of function in at least three limbs—most are medically classified as quadriplegic. There are currently 24 countries in active competiton in the sport, with several others at a development stage.
The gold medallists in the Paralympic tournament were Australia, who defeated Canada in the final, with the USA taking the bronze medal.