Why You Should Watch Wheelchair Rugby At The Paralympic Games

Ball In Touch: Wednesday 5th September sees the start of the London 2012 Paralympics' wheelchair rugby competition as eight teams go for gold in a sport which is affectionately known as Murderball and for good reason. Ball in Touch discusses why you should watch this exciting sport. Follow the action on Channel 4 and let us know what you think in the comments below or on Twitter @ballintouch For those that haven€™t seen 2005 documentary Murderball, search it out and watch it as soon as you can. It follows the Team US athletes as they work their way to the Athens Paralympic Games and is a fascinating watch as we see an insight not just into the sport but the athletes themselves and what being a paraplegic means for them in their day to day lives. This week the 2012 Paralympic's sees 8 teams compete for the spoils, with top sides Canada and USA being joined by Australia, Belgium, France, Japan, Sweden and of course ParalympicsGB. The sport is more similar to wheelchair basketball than what people think of when you say rugby, but the spirit of the game remains the same. Ferocity on the pitch is matched with friendship off it as sides bash each other to pieces before shaking hands and going for a beer after the game. Such is society that if we saw someone being knocked out of a wheelchair in the street we would be shocked and rush to help. Murderball turns that on its head. For first time viewers it can be a shocking sight at first, but it€™s okay, that€™s the idea of the game. Teams of four (squads of 12) have 40 seconds from gaining possession to take the ball over their opponents try line and can pass, bounce or roll the ball in any direction. The opposition must stop this, and one way to do that is to go as fast as possible into the side of the person with the ball, knocking the ball and them flying through the air. There is no physical contact, only between the especially designed chairs themselves. Well, there€™s meant to be no contact but with players that are paralysed to a certain degree, there is a good chance of a few broken bones that they don€™t even realise until someone tells them. The fact a welding torch is as useful as the magic sponge gives an indication of the battering these human propelled tanks take and it makes for a fast and frenetic game to watch. Ever since the Olympics finish, Wheelchair Rugby was the sport we were most looking forward to watching in Ball in Touch towers and we highly recommend you join us on Channel 4 from Wednesday afternoon, 2pm. GB has an outside chance of a medal and play Team USA first up, the favourites but will be hoping threat home advantage propels them towards the podium, as well as their opposition, with maximum speed.