Australia national wheelchair rugby team
| Australia AU | |
|---|---|
| IWRF Ranking | 1 (2014) |
| Coach | Brad Dubberley Nov 2006- |
| Paralympic Games | |
| Appearances | 6 |
| Medals |
 Silver: 2000 Summer Paralympics Silver: 2008 Summer Paralympics Gold: 2012 Summer Paralympics Gold: 2016 Summer Paralympics
|
| World Championships | |
| Appearances | 6 |
| Medals |
 Bronze: 2002 Silver: 2010 Gold: 2014 |
Wheelchair rugby is a sport with national representation at the Paralympic games. The Australian Team is known as the 'Steelers'.
Australia has competed at every Paralympics Games since the sport gained full Paralympic Medal status at the 2000 Summer Paralympics. The Steelers also competed in the 1996 Summer Paralympics where wheelchair rugby was a demonstration sport. The 'Steelers' defeated Canada at the 2012 London Games to win its first gold medal. In 2014, it won its first World Championship by defeating Canada. In winning the world championship, the Steelers became the second nation in history to hold both the Paralympic and world championship titles concurrently. The Australian Paralympic Committee currently manages the Steelers high performance program.
The sport is not included at the Special Olympics or the Deaflympics.
The sport is one of the few contact sports available for wheelchair sport athletes and was originally known as "Murderball". It was developed in Canada during the 1970s and made its way to Australia in 1981.
The sport uses a volleyball for the ball and combines elements of basketball, soccer and ice hockey. The game is played on a basketball sized court. Each team has four players on the court at any one time. It has drawn large crowds at events such as the Paralympics.
Wheelchair Rugby is open to athletes with quadriplegia. Athletes competing in wheelchair rugby are classified according to their ability. Players are classified using a points system starting at 0.5 for athletes with the least ability through to 3.5 for athletes with the most ability.
A team can have four players on the court but must not exceed 8 classification points (the combined total of the player's individual classifications).
Australia represented by:
Men – Brett Boylan (2.0), Garry Croker (1.0), Andrew Greenaway (1.5), Rodney Hamilton, David Jacka (0.5), Peter Lock (2.5), Steve Porter (2.5), Baden Whitehead (2.0) ; Coaches – Darryl Wingard (Head Coach)
. Wheelchair rugby was a demonstration sport at the 1996 Summer Paralympics. George Hucks was a member of the Australian team. During a practice in Atlanta prior to the start of the games, Hucks broke his kneecap. Hucks, from South Australia, was the team's best player. This was a major loss for the team. Hucks was flown home and another player was flown into Australia to replace him. Australia did not win a single match in wheelchair rugby. They lost to New Zealand 23–39, to Great Britain 33–34, to Canada 24–39, to the USA 18–31 and to Sweden 25–29.
Wheelchair rugby at the 1996 Summer Paralympics for detailed results.
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