The 10th annual Vancouver Invitational wheelchair rugby tournament came to a close yesterday at the Richmond Olympic Oval.
The event — won by Quebec with a 58-30 victory over Ontario yesterday afternoon — gave the organizing committee a chance to test its system before the World Wheelchair Rugby Championships in 2010.
Jan Mansfield, director of communications for the 2010 WWRC, said the tournament went just as expected.
“Things are going really well, we will have to tweak a few things, but other than that it’s fine,” Mansfield said.
Teams from all across the country showed up to participate.
Travis Murao is on the Canadian team and is a Paralympic hopeful.
Murao, 26, has been paralyzed for nine years after he broke his neck in a snowboarding accident at Whistler Blackcomb.
He took up wheelchair rugby in 2002 and has been playing it ever since.
“It’s really fun when you’re representing Canada and competing against countries such as Australia and New Zealand,” Murao said.
Spectators attending the event said it’s not only good for the athletes, but it’s fun for the community as well.
“It’s a chance to see the Oval and we’ve watched the movie Murderball,” Eric Lowe said. “Now I’d love to go see some Paralympics.”
The WWRC takes place September 17-26, 2010.
History
Wheelchair rugby was invented in 1977 by a group of quadriplegic athletes who wanted an alternative to wheelchair basketball.
