- The GIO IWRF 2018 Wheelchair Rugby World Championship will be staged in Sydney Olympic Park from 5 – 10 August;
- It’s the largest single elite disability sporting event held in Australia since the 2000 Paralympic Games at the Sydney Olympic Stadium;
- The Australian Steelers are the reigning Paralympic and World Champions, ranked No. 1 in the world;
- Australia v New Zealand is the first match of the Championship following the Opening Ceremony at 12.30pm Sunday 5 August;
- Finals Day (Bronze and Gold Medal matches) is Friday August 10;
- Tickets start from $15 adult, $5 children or concession. Go here to support these amazing athletes.
Image: Ryley Batt (right) will be one of the Australian Steelers’ key players at the 2018 World Championships
Emma Rothfield
THE Australian Steelers are out to defend their world championship title on home soil as Sydney’s Olympic Park hosts the GIO 2018 IWRF Wheelchair Rugby World Championship.
The 12 best national teams battle it out over 5 days from 5-10 August in the hope of being crowned 2018 World Champions.
Australia’s national wheelchair rugby team is one of the firm favourites of the competition, being ranked 1st in the world following a 2014 World Championship victory in Denmark, and Gold Medals at the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.
Wheelchair Rugby is a fast paced, full contact sport for male and female quadriplegics (tetraplegics), giving all athletes the opportunity to compete at an elite level.
There is no shortage of action for the fans. The sport has been nicknamed “Murder Ball” due to the aggressive nature of matches, with players slamming their steel-framed wheelchairs into each other as they attempt to block opponents from getting the ball to the tryline.
The Opening Ceremony from 12.30pm Sunday 5 August will be followed by a blockbuster opening match, with the Australian Steelers taking on the New Zealand Wheel Blacks . . . a contest that will give rugby fans a taste of the Australia v NZ rivalry before the Bledisloe Cup Test series gets underway at Stadium Australia on Saturday 18 August.
Sydney Olympic Park’s Quaycentre and Genea Netball Centre will host all 42 matches of the Wheelchair Rugby World Championship, with the Gold Medal match in the Quaycentre on Friday August 10, starting at 4pm.
NRL fans will have the opportunity to experience an action-packed afternoon of elite sport, with the South Sydney Rabbitohs taking on the Sydney Roosters at Stadium Australia just hours after the Wheelchair Rugby Gold Medal match at the nearby Quaycentre.
Wheelchair Rugby made its debut as a full medal sport at the 2000 Sydney Paralympic Games in the same precinct that will host the 2018 World Championship.
To purchase a full event pass or individual match tickets, head here.
