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Wheelchair Rugby was invented in 1977 in Winnipeg, Canada, by a group of quadriplegic athletes who were looking for an alternative to Wheelchair Basketball. They wanted a sport which would allow players with reduced arm and hand function to participate equally. The sport they created, originally called Murderball, is now known as Wheelchair Rugby.
Wheelchair Rugby first appeared outside of Canada in 1979, at a demonstration at Southwest State University in Minnesota. The first Canadian National Championship was held that same year. The first team in the United States was formed in 1981, and the first international tournament, bringing together teams from the US and Canada, was held in 1982. Throughout the 1980s, other local and national tournaments took place in various countries. The first international tournament with a team from outside North America was held in 1989 in Toronto, Canada. With teams from Canada, the USA and Great Britain, this was a breakthrough for developing international competition and co-operation. Wheelchair Rugby first appeared at the World Wheelchair Games in 1990 as an exhibition event.
In 1993, with 15 countries actively participating, the sport was recognised as an official international sport for athletes with a disability and the International Wheelchair Rugby Federation (IWRF) was established as a sport section of the International Stoke Mandeville Wheelchair Sports Federation (ISMWSF). Seven countries participated in Wheelchair Rugby at the 1993 Stoke Mandeville World Wheelchair Games.
In 1994, Wheelchair Rugby was officially recognised by the International Paralympic Committee as a Paralympic sport. The first Wheelchair Rugby World Championships were held in Notwil, Switzerland, in 1995, with eight teams competing. In 1996 Wheelchair Rugby was included as a demonstration sport in the Atlanta Paralympic Games.
In 2000, Wheelchair Rugby was included for the first time in the Paralympic Games competition programme as a full medal sport at the 2000 Sydney Paralympic Games. It was also featured at the 2004 Athens Paralympic Games, and has been included in the competition program for the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games.
Currently Wheelchair Rugby is actively played in more than twenty-five countries, and is under development in at least three other nations. The IWRF presently includes three zones: Zone 1 (The Americas), with five active countries; Zone 2 (Europe), with fourteen active countries; and Zone 3 (Asia Oceania), with six active countries. The next Wheelchair Rugby World Championships will be held in Vancouver, Canada in September 2010.
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