The world will come to Birmingham July 7-17 for the 11th edition of The World Games, an international multi-sport event held every four years. We are excited that for the first time, an adapted sport will be included in the sports program. Low point wheelchair rugby, a variation of the Paralympic Sport, wheelchair rugby, will make its debut July 14-17 at the Birmingham CrossPlex. We encourage you to buy tickets and cheer on the teams.
What is low point wheelchair rugby?
Low point wheelchair rugby is a variation of the Paralympic sport, wheelchair rugby. It is a mixed gender contact sport for athletes with a disability or impairment in all four limbs. The sport is played on a hard-surface court and combines elements of rugby, basketball and handball. Players compete in teams of four to carry a ball across the opposing team’s goal line.
In wheelchair rugby, all athletes are assigned a classification based on their functional ability. Lower classification players have less physical function (i.e. hand dexterity) and higher classification players have greater function (i.e. trunk control). Low point wheelchair rugby, the sport featured in The World Games 2022, is restricted to “low point” players who have a classification between 0.5 and 1.5. When player classifications are added up, a four-person team may not exceed 3.5 points. A team is allowed an additional 0.5 points for each female player on the court.
Aside from classification differences, low point wheelchair rugby uses the same rules as wheelchair rugby. The main difference in game play is that low point athletes, who traditionally play more of a defensive role in wheelchair rugby, cover all aspects of the low point game – passing, handling the ball, scoring and defending. The sport has been around almost as long as Paralympic wheelchair rugby and has hosted multiple international tournaments.
Visit worldwheelchair.rugby to learn more about low point and all of the different disciplines of wheelchair rugby.
Low Point Wheelchair Rugby Schedule
Thursday, July 14
9 a.m. USA vs Japan
11 a.m. Germany vs Canada
1 p.m. Switzerland vs Great Britain
3 p.m. Japan vs Germany
5 p.m. Canada vs Great Britain
Friday, July 15
9 a.m. Japan vs Switzerland
11 a.m. Great Britain vs USA
1 p.m. Canada vs Switzerland
3 p.m. Germany vs USA
5 p.m. Japan vs Great Britain
Saturday, July 16
9 a.m. USA vs Canada
11 a.m. Switzerland vs Germany
1 p.m. Canada vs Japan
3 p.m. Great Britain vs Germany
5 p.m. Switzerland vs USA
Sunday, July 17
8:30 a.m. Fifth Place Game
10:15 a.m. Bronze Medal Game
12 p.m. Gold Medal Game
