The 2023 Wheelchair Rugby European Championship has announced an all-star Friday night fiesta featuring a star-studded wheelchair rugby Celebrity Match. Renowned athletes from the wheelchair rugby and rugby world are set to rub shoulders with well-known celebrity faces as they are pitted together in a Wales v England clash of titans.

Kylie Grimes Photo: Megumi Masuda

The two teams will go head-to-head on Friday 5th May at 5.30pm, before Great Britain’s final pool game against Denmark. The celebrities will be hosted in the President’s Lounge after their match as part of the ‘Celebrity Match Reception’ hospitality package.

Heading up the Reds for team Wales is GB Paralympic champion Jim Roberts MBE. A retired wheelchair rugby player, Roberts won gold with GB in Tokyo so is expertly positioned to coach team Wales to victory in the Celebrity Match. Roberts commented: “I’m very excited to be involved – momentum has been really gathering for this event! As a Welshman, it will be such a fantastic opportunity to play in the Principality Stadium too.”

Others in the Welsh ranks include former Wales international rugby union player Dai Llewellyn and his son, Love Island star Liam Llewellyn, as well as Paralympic swimmer / wheelchair skateboarder Lily Rice.

The Roses will have GB Paralympic champion Kylie Grimes MBE at the helm. The first woman to ever win Paralympic gold in wheelchair rugby, Grimes commented: “I’m really looking forward to being part of this England celebrity team! It’s amazing to be able to showcase our sport even further, and create a good hype before the GB team take to the stage.”

Former professional rugby player and broadcaster Ed Jackson will be joining Grimes in the celebrity match clash. He said: “After spending time in a wheelchair myself and having been lucky enough to be present for GB’s Tokyo glory, I am a massive fan of the sport and can’t wait to take part in this match. I’m not going to lie though, after seeing the pros do it up close, I’m definitely also a bit nervous!”

Finalising the current line up for England is Nathalie McGloin, the only female tetraplegic racing driver in the world. McGloin said: “I can’t wait to play! Wheelchair rugby was always my first love and I owe everything I have achieved since my injury to this sport. Being part of GB wheelchair rugby showed me that there was life after spinal injury and I would not have gone on to become the first female tetraplegic racing driver in the world without it. Now I just need to remember how to play!”

Tickets are on sale now at Ticketmaster, where prices for day tickets start from £10 for adults and under-16s can experience the action for just £1.

Find out more about the 2023 Wheelchair Rugby European Championship here.

The programme aims to drive awareness and engagement with wheelchair rugby and strengthen local and national partnerships to enable the consistent long-term growth of the sport in Wales. The specific goal of reaching over 3000 children, teens and adults in Wales with wheelchair rugby experiences will be officially met at Brynteg Comprehensive School on 25 January, with GB player Kieran Flynn on hand to help deliver the milestone session.

Darren Carew, WRU National Inclusion Manager commented: “A huge amount of work has gone into the roll out of this programme; after more than 45 events we’re delighted that we’ll be reaching our goal of providing 3000 opportunities for people to try out wheelchair rugby – a goal that we’ve reached ahead of our initial timeline. 2023 will see the WRU armed with 30 wheelchairs and an excellent workforce of Hub Officers – a workforce which has grown significantly with newly qualified officers thanks to the programme – who can engage participants in wheelchair rugby consistently and on a larger scale than we have ever seen before.”

Jason Brisbane, GBWR CEO added: “We really hope that the impact of the championship will go beyond the event in May. Our aim is for it to become a lasting legacy for the foreseeable future, raising the profile of the sport in Wales and encouraging a new generation of talented players to join Welsh wheelchair rugby clubs.”

The sessions coincide with a Community Engagement Week which is being held to mark 100 days to go until the championship in May. Held on Welsh soil for the first time, the iconic Principality Stadium plays host to the championship which will see Paralympic gold medal winning Great Britain go head-to-head with seven other teams from 3-7 May, with the top two teams automatically qualifying for the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris alongside France as hosts.

Tickets for the event are now on sale here: https://wreuro23.com/tickets/. An early bird sale for email subscribers, who will enjoy 10% off ticket prices, is currently live until Tuesday 31 January.
Find out more about the 2023 Wheelchair Rugby European Championship here: https://wreuro23.com/.

With thanks to GB Wheelchair Rugby via Conker Communications

The Championship is supported with UK Sport investment from The National Lottery and by various partners including World Wheelchair Rugby, Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby, Welsh Rugby Union and the Welsh Government. As one of Wales’s leading heritage attractions, Cardiff Castle will provide a spectacular backdrop for the draw that determines which teams will go head-to-head in the opening pool stages of the tournament.

Performing the official draw for the event in the Cardiff Castle undercroft will be Richard Allcroft, World Wheelchair Rugby President, and a current Welsh Rugby Union international player. Also in attendance will be Great Britain Tokyo 2020 gold medallist Gavin Walker, Great Britain Head Coach Paul Shaw MBE, as well as Justin Frishberg, representing the French team as current defending European champions and Jane Hutt, Welsh Minister for Social Justice. Players from local wheelchair rugby clubs will also act as flagbearers for each of the eight countries competing at the event; Great Britain, France, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Netherlands, Israel and Czech Republic.

The format of the draw will consist of the eight competing nations being drawn into two pools. Nations will be paired based on their world rankings, with the lowest ranked pair being drawn first into separate pools. This continues until the final pair, when host nation Great Britain, represented by GB Head Coach Paul Shaw, selects the pool they wish to join.

Following the draw, on Tuesday 13 December tickets for the event will go on sale, with email subscribers enjoying an early bird offer of 10% off ticket prices.

Speaking ahead of the draw, Event Director Chris Walker commented: “We’re delighted that Cardiff Castle is the venue to host the official competition draw for our event. As an instantly recognisable Welsh location with over 2000 years of history, it is fitting that we start our European Championship story here before heading to the Principality Stadium next May, an equally iconic location that we feel privileged to bring wheelchair rugby to.

“We really hope that this is just the start – that rugby-loving Welsh fans will really get behind this spectacular sport for what is set to be an incredible event held for the first time in Wales.”
Jane Hutt, Minister for Social Justice, added: “It is fantastic that the 2023 Wheelchair Rugby European Championship will be held in Wales and the official draw brings us one step closer to the showpiece event.

“We have given our full backing to this tournament and wish it the best of success. Fans will be in for a treat when the action starts and we hope it encourages many to take up the sport.”
The competition draw will be live streamed via the Channel 4 YouTube channel.

Further information on tickets, which go on sale Tuesday 13 December, can be found here: https://wreuro23.com/tickets/.

Find out more about the 2023 Wheelchair Rugby European Championship here: https://wreuro23.com/.

Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby (GBWR) has announced that the annual Wheelchair Rugby Quad Nations will be staged for the first time in Wales this 16-18 September 2022, at the Sport Wales National Centre in Cardiff.  This highly charged launch into the Welsh sporting scene paves the way for the 2023 Wheelchair Rugby European Championship, to be held at the iconic Principality Stadium in Cardiff, home of Welsh rugby.

The Quad Nations – which will be a key preparation event ahead of October’s World Championships in Denmark – will see top Paralympic athletes from Great Britain, France, Germany and Canada battle it out in the gripping four-team international tournament.  Following the awe-inspiring success of Paralympic champions Great Britain at Tokyo 2020, which saw the team make history by claiming a gold medal for the first time and athlete Kylie Grimes become the first woman to win gold in the sport, the Quad Nations promises to be a fierce competition between the international teams. The Great Britain team will be committed to claiming a victory in the Quad Nations after France snatched the European Championship title in February 2022, whilst Canada and Germany will be keen to follow up their respective successes in recent tournaments.

Marking the start of a new and exciting chapter for wheelchair rugby in Cardiff and beyond, the Quad Nations will set the scene in the rugby-loving nation ahead of the European Championships, held at the Principality Stadium from 3-7 May next year.  This spectacle of elite Paralympic sport will see the biggest and best European athletes and teams compete to qualify for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. 

Speaking ahead of the event, GBWR Chief Executive Officer Jason Brisbane commented: “Hosting the 2022 Quad Nations in Cardiff is a hugely exciting move for Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby and we’re absolutely delighted to be able to host these four elite teams this September. The Quad Nations is always a highly competitive event with last year’s behind-closed-doors competition playing an invaluable role in helping Great Britain to prepare for the Tokyo Games.   

“These events, building to a crescendo of the European Championship next year, are sure to inspire people and create a true legacy for the sport, raising it to new heights through its sheer energy, passion and competitive force.

“Spectators who are new to wheelchair rugby will be captivated by how fast-paced and thrilling the game is – it’s a really physical, one-of-a-kind sport where women and men compete on the same team.

“I really hope that the rugby-loving fans in Wales will show their support and get behind this incredible sport and the amazing athletes competing. Cardiff is the perfect setting for these two iconic events, with a rich legacy of passion for rugby which we really hope to build on.”

Tickets are available here, from as little as £8 for adults and £5 for children: https://www.ticketline.co.uk/wheelchair-rugby-quad-nations#bio

Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby members can enjoy a 10% early bird discount, available until 17th July 2022.