Originally called murderball, wheelchair rugby was invented in 1977 in Winnipeg, Canada. It was developed by Ben Harnish, a professor of architecture at Manitoba University, and two wheelchair athletes, Duncan Campbell and Gerry Terwin. Their goal was to create a sport based off of ice hockey and wheelchair basketball that allowed quadriplegic athletes, of varying disability, to participate equally in the game [1].

The game was first demonstrated in 1979 at Southwest State University in Minnesota, USA. That same year, Canada held their first National Championship. The first US quad rugby team, North Dakota Wallbangers, was formed in 1981 by Brad Mikkelsen with the aid of the University of North Dakota’s Disabled Student Services. The first US wheelchair rugby match was held in Marshall, ND, in 1982 between the North Dakota Wallbangers and the Minnesota Rolling Gophers. That same year, the University of North Dakota hosted the first International Quad Rugby Tournament [1].

The first US National Championship tournament was held in 1988 at the University on North Dakota. It was composed of six teams: Minnesota, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, and North Dakota. During this tournament, the US Quad Rugby Association was formed to regulate and advertise the sport within the USA [1].

In 1993, the International Wheelchair Rugby Federation (IWRF) was formed during the World Wheelchair Games in England. The IWRF mission was (1) to create an international infrastructure for the sport, (2) to establish recognition from the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), and (3) to provide world-class competition [1].

After lengthy negotiations, wheelchair rugby was added as an exhibition sport in the 1996 Summer Paralympics. The USA won the gold medal, Canada won the silver medal, and New Zealand won the bronze medal [1].

During the summer of 2000, The Paralympic Games were held in Sydney, Australia. Wheelchair rugby was one of the most watched Paralympic events with over 10,000 viewers watching the championship game between the USA and Australia. The US team beat Australia by just one point making it one of the closest international finishes to date. New Zealand finished third and received the bronze medal over Canada [1].

In 2002, the world championship was held in Sweden. Canada beat the US team in the final game. In 2004, the Paralympics took place in Athens, Greece. New Zealand took the gold, Canada the silver, and the USA took the bronze [1].

The movie, Murderball, was released in 2004. This movie increased the sport’s recognition and popularity. To this day, it has continued to assist in the recruitment of athletes to the sport [1].

The 2008 Paralympics were held in Beijing, China. The USA won the gold medal. Australia took the silver and Canada finished with the bronze medal.

The 2012 Paralympics were held in Great Britain. There was one event and eight teams competed. Although wheelchair rugby is considered a mix gender sport, the vast majority of competitors were male. Australia won the gold, Canada won the silver, and the USA took the bronze [1].

The 2016 Summer Paralympics was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from September 7 to September 18.

Today, the International Wheelchair Rugby Federation boasts that wheelchair rugby is the only full-contact wheelchair sport in the world [1].

Eligible participants who play wheelchair rugby must have a disability that affects both their arms and legs [1]. Many participants have spinal cord injuries, resulting in full or partial paralysis of their lower extremities and partial paralysis of their upper extremities. Despite the majority of players having spinal cord injuries, wheelchair rugby is also enjoyed by disabled persons with cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, amputees, polio, and other neurologic conditions that render them eligible to participate [1]. The majority of teams comprise both men and women. These co-ed’s compete at the same level and in the same competitions. Each player is assessed by a medical professional, who is trained as a classifier, and given a classification based on their level of disability. Teams must comprise their four court players based on the classification given, to not equal a classification value greater than eight. Each team may exceed a classification value of 8 by 0.5 for every female on the court. This helps teams to field players with different functional abilities and level the playing field (Figs. 13.2 and 13.3) [1].

A generalized classification table: