Wheelchair rugby is a contact sport created by and for quadriplegics. It is played with a volleyball on a basketball court and the object of the game is to score as many points as possible by taking the ball behind the opposite goal line, by touching or going beyond that line with the two wheels. A team can be mixed and has four players on the field. Each player is assigned a point value according to his or her physical capabilities, the sum total of which may not exceed eight points. 3.5-point rugby is traditionally presented in the framework of the event.
8-point wheelchair rugby has seven point categories: .5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0 and 3.5. Athletes are assigned classification points according to their functional ability to execute the maneuvers associated with rugby. The better the athlete is, the higher his classification. We would therefore find faster players forward, players usually taking part in 3.5 would be more likely to play defense. 8-point rugby is the same format as that of the Paralympic games.
$10,000 will also be handed out in purse money. It constitutes the second most important purse awarded for a rugby competition. Subsequent to that announcement, a number of countries have already made their interest known, which should normally result in a high calibre tournament. One more reason to come to the 27th Défi sportif.