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Wheelchair Rugby Quad Nations Tournament returns to Leicester in 2019


Following the success of the first ever Wheelchair Rugby Quad Nations tournament earlier this year, Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby has today announced it’s returning to Leicester in February 2019 to play the top wheelchair rugby teams in the world.

Leicester City Football Club Owners, Thai Duty-Free giant King Power, has once again confirmed that they will be the title sponsor of the King Power Quad Nations which will be played at the Morningside Arena in Leicester.

The supercharged tournament, which is described as ‘brutal’, will be bringing together three incredible days of the world’s best ‘Murderball’ teams for this intense competition. Competing, GB will be up against Japan, who won the Gold medal at the World Championships held in Sydney this summer; Canada who is currently ranked 4th in the world and France ranked 7th.

Running between Friday 1st March and Sunday 3rd March 2019, this will be the second time the tournament has taken place at the Arena, following the success of the inaugural event in February 2018, which saw our home side battle it out between Australia, Japan and USA and attracted over 5000 supporters.

Fast paced and violent, players compete in specially-designed, manual wheelchairs and must meet a minimum disability criterion, classifiable under the sport classification rules. All competing athletes were either born with physical disabilities, or have suffered illness which has affected their mobility, or else experienced life-changing injuries through accidents, including those serving in the armed forces.

The 3-day tournament marks an important performance opportunity for GB ahead of the 2019 European Championships in Denmark where GB will defend their title, and ahead of the World Wheelchair Rugby Challenge which will be played alongside the Rugby World Cup in Tokyo in October and involve the top eight teams in the world.

David Pond, CEO of Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby said: ‘We are delighted to return to Leicester for this fantastic tournament. All teams were overwhelmed by the warmth of the welcome we received by the people of Leicester when we played the first King Power Quad Nations in the city and we are hoping for even bigger crowds this time. We are also really appreciative of King Power who have come forward again to sponsor the event, so a big thank you to them. Spectators will see the game at the very highest level and it’s fantastic that World Champions, Japan, will be joining us’.

Susan Whelan, Senior Executive Vice President of King Power International and CEO of Leicester City said: “King Power is very proud of its associations to world class sport and to the city of Leicester, so we’re honoured to support the Wheelchair Rugby Quad Nations for a second year. The 2018 event drew thousands of people from all over the world to witness some outstanding matches and I’m sure 2019 will be even bigger and better.
 
“It takes a remarkable level of dedication and commitment to reach an elite standard in any sport, but there is something additional to be admired about athletes with the passion and determination to overcome disability and succeed on the international stage. The tournament will be a great spectacle for the city, which I’m sure will be extremely proud to play host to another world-class sporting event.”

The tournament will be sanctioned by the International Wheelchair Rugby Federation (IWRF).

Photo Credit: Osborne Hollis.