Skip to main content
23673
Back to International Paralympic Committee homepage Go to
Contrast:
High Contrast
Normal Contrast
Enlargement:
Larger Font Size
Default Font Size
Smaller Font Size
    • Home
    • News
    • Athletes
    • Schedule/Results
    • Tickets
    • Countries
    • Samsung Bloggers
    • Fan Zone
    • Watch
    • Sports
    • About
    • Newsletter
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Youtube
    • Instagram

    No. 29 Australia beat USA in thrilling Rio 2016 wheelchair rugby final

    © •
    • Tweet
      • print
      • send

    The year 2016 will go down as one of the most successful in the history of wheelchair rugby, with the sport experiencing rapid growth and exposure in the past 12 months.This enters at No. 29 in the International Paralympic Committee’s Top 50 Moments of 2016.Australia and the USA showed the excitement wheelchair rugby can produce when they battled for gold at Rio 2016 in what was regarded by many as the greatest game in the sport’s history.The thrilling encounter capped off the most evenly-matched tournament since the sport was first introduced as a full medal event at Sydney 2000.After four quarters of regulation time, with the lead changing hands several times, the score was tied at 49-all.In the first overtime period, USA led by one until Australia scored with less than two seconds remaining, sending the match into an unprecedented second overtime period. In the additional overtime, Australia gained a one-goal lead but the USA never gave in and came within inches of scoring the match-tying point in the dying seconds. Australia's victory made them the first back-to-back Paralympic champions in wheelchair rugby history, and captain Ryan Scott was lost for words after the thrilling victory.“It is unbelievable. I could not describe the first time we won so I do not know how to put this one into words,” Scott said. “It is an amazing feeling and I am just so proud of all the boys. It is a huge honour. “We knew the team that was going to win had to earn it, so we definitely earned it.”Scott admitted he thought his side had won after the first period of overtime and began to celebrate before coming to the quick realisation there was another period to come after Chris Bond scored in the dying seconds.The build-up to the tournament at Rio 2016 was also unique in itself.In April, the International Wheelchair Rugby Federation (IWRF) held its first-ever Paralympic qualification tournament in Paris, France.Previous Paralympic and World Championships results awarded spots based on zone Championships and world rankings.With the increased competitiveness of teams from around the globe, IWRF adopted a qualification format that brought together six evenly-matched teams to battle it out for the last two spots at Rio 2016.USA were the clear winners, however, France, Denmark and New Zealand were all tied at the end of round-robin play.France won through their semi-final against New Zealand to claim the final ticket to the biggest event on the sport’s calendar, but were only able to record a seventh place finish at the Games.This year was also a banner year for the sport in south-east Asia. After several years of grassroots development, two events brought the sport to the next level in this region. From 9-13 June, IWRF held a wheelchair rugby development clinic in Bali, Indonesia, targeting countries in south-east Asia. Based on the success of 2016, IWRF expects to see continued growth in the region and looks forward to the participation of teams from this region for the first time in the IWRF Asia-Oceania Championship in 2017.The region will also host the 2018 IWRF World Championships in Sydney, Australia, before all eyes turn to Tokyo, Japan, for the 2020 Paralympic Games.To find out more about the IPC’s Top 50 Moments of 2016, visit the dedicated page on the IPC’s website. https://www.paralympic.org/top-50-moments-2016

    LATEST VIDEOS
    NHK Animation | Wheelchair Rugby | Who Is Your Hero? NHK Animation | Wheelchair Rugby | Who Is Your Hero?
    Japan Wheelchair Rugby Team | Reflections on 2018 Japan Wheelchair Rugby Team | Reflections on 2018
    1 Month To Go | 2018 IWRF World Championships 1 Month To Go | 2018 IWRF World Championships
    #FillTheSeats Get Brazilian Kids to the Paralympics #FillTheSeats Get Brazilian Kids to the Paralympics
    More videos...following the link
    Follow us on Facebook
    Worldwide Paralympic Partners
    Go to Atos partner page
    Go to Bridgestone partner page
    Go to OttoBock partner page
    Go to Panasonic partner page
    Go to Samsung partner page
    Go to Toyota partner page
    Go to Visa partner page
    International Partners
    Go to Allianz partner page
    Go to BP partner page
    Go to Citi partner page
    • FAQ
    • Privacy
    • Imprint
    • Jobs
    Powered by Go to Atos. Worldwide IPC partner page
    The Paralympic Games
    Summer Games
    Winter Games
    Sochi 2014
    Rio 2016
    All the results & medallist since 1960
    Games video archive
    About the IPC
    Who we are
    Anti-Doping
    Medical
    Partners
    IPC Strategic Plan 2015-2018
    IPC Handbook
    Publications and Documents
    Media Centre
    News
    Features & Interviews
    The Paralympian
    Videos
    Athlete of the Month
    Media Office
    Sports
    Summer Sports
    Winter Sports
    Biographies
    NPCS
    Africa
    America
    Asia
    Europe
    Oceania
    Go to International Paralympic Committee homepage
    Official Website of the Paralympic Movement • IPC
    Homepage
    Paralympic Games
    The IPC
    Results, Ranking & Records
    Media Centre
    Videos
    Sports
    International Paralympic Committee (IPC)
    Adenauerallee 212-214, 53113 Bonn, Germany
    Telephone: +49-228-2097-200 • Fax: +49-228-2097-209 • E-mail: info@paralympic.org
    02:10:37