TOKYO: The battered round wheels collide like Viking shields, as the combatants of wheelchair rugby dodge, battle, and score in a sport that players say upends preconceptions about disability.
“It’s a sport that breaks stereotypes, where we push beyond our limits,” said Christophe Salegui, 35, a member of the French team competing at the Tokyo Paralympics.
Originally known as “murderball,” the sport has a reputation for tough confrontations, with players mercilessly battering opponents to keep them from landing a point.
“It’s definitely one of the sports that gets people interested because of the weird nature of it, the collision and the contacts,” acknowledged Britain’s Stuart Robinson.
Collisions are…
