Wheelchair Rugby at the 2004 Summer Paralympics
Encyclopedia
Wheelchair Rugby
at the 2004 Summer Paralympics
was staged at the Helliniko Indoor Arena
from September 19 to September 25.
Teams from eight countries participated in the competition, with a total of 89 athletes taking part. While wheelchair rugby
was designated a mixed sport, with both men and women eligible to participate in the competition, no female athletes took part.
New Zealand
's victory in the gold medal game represented the first time that a country from outside North America
had won a Paralympics or World Championships title in the sport.
The wheelchair rugby competition in Athens was featured in the 2005 documentary film Murderball.
Wheelchair rugby
Wheelchair rugby, , is a team sport for athletes with a disability. It is currently practiced in over twenty countries around the world and is a Paralympic sport....
at the 2004 Summer Paralympics
2004 Summer Paralympics
The 2004 Summer Paralympics were held in Athens, Greece, from September 17 to September 28. The twelfth Paralympic Games, an estimated 4,000 athletes took part in the Athens programme, with ages ranging from 11 to 66. Paralympic events had already taken place during the 2004 Summer Olympics as...
was staged at the Helliniko Indoor Arena
Helliniko Olympic Arena
The Helliniko Olympic Indoor Arena is a multi-use sports indoor arena that is located in Ellinikon, Athens, Greece. It is approximately 10 miles from the Athens Olympic Village. It was built on the site of the former Ellinikon International Airport for the 2004 Summer Olympics and the 2004 Summer...
from September 19 to September 25.
Teams from eight countries participated in the competition, with a total of 89 athletes taking part. While wheelchair rugby
Wheelchair rugby
Wheelchair rugby, , is a team sport for athletes with a disability. It is currently practiced in over twenty countries around the world and is a Paralympic sport....
was designated a mixed sport, with both men and women eligible to participate in the competition, no female athletes took part.
New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
's victory in the gold medal game represented the first time that a country from outside North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
had won a Paralympics or World Championships title in the sport.
The wheelchair rugby competition in Athens was featured in the 2005 documentary film Murderball.
Draw
| Pool A | Pool B |
|---|---|
| 1. | 2. |
| 3. | 4. |
| 6. | 5. |
| 8. | 7. |
Pool play
| Time | Match | Teams | Final score |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 19, 2004 | |||
| 10:00 | 1 | GBR vs. BEL | 27 - 22 |
| 12:00 | 2 | CAN vs. GER | 33 - 30 (OT) |
| 17:00 | 3 | USA vs. JPN | 54 - 39 |
| 19:00 | 4 | AUS vs. NZL | 31 - 41 |
| September 20, 2004 | |||
| 10:00 | 5 | GER vs. BEL | 33 - 40 |
| 12:00 | 6 | CAN vs. GBR | 30 - 32 (OT) |
| 17:00 | 7 | AUS vs. JPN | 48 - 47 |
| 19:00 | 8 | USA vs. NZL | 35 - 32 |
| September 21, 2004 | |||
| 10:00 | 9 | GBR vs. GER | 40 - 33 |
| 12:00 | 10 | CAN vs. BEL | 33 - 29 |
| 17:00 | 11 | NZL vs. JPN | 47 - 35 |
| 19:00 | 12 | USA vs. AUS | 49 - 38 |
Standings after pool play
| Pool A | Pool B |
|---|---|
1.  |
1.  |
2.  |
2.  |
3.  |
3.  |
4.  |
4.  |
Final round play
| Time | Match | Teams | Final score |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 23, 2004 | |||
| 10:00 | 13 | USA vs. GER | 46 - 34 |
| 12:00 | 14 | GBR vs. JPN | 50 - 42 |
| 17:00 | 15 | NZL vs. BEL | 40 - 33 |
| 19:00 | 16 | CAN vs. AUS | 36 - 33 |
| September 24, 2004 | |||
| 10:00 | 17 | BEL vs. JPN | 36 - 25 |
| 12:00 | 18 | AUS vs. GER | 44 - 40 |
| 17:00 | 19 | USA vs. CAN | 20 - 24 |
| 19:00 | 20 | GBR vs. NZL | 35 - 39 |
| September 25, 2004 | |||
| 10:00 | 21 | GER vs. JPN | 41 - 40 |
| 12:00 | 22 | BEL vs. AUS | 43 - 46 |
| 17:00 | 23 | USA vs. GBR | 43 - 39 |
| 19:00 | 24 | NZL vs. CAN | 31 - 29 |
Final standings
| Place | Country |
|---|---|
| 1. | |
| 2. | |
| 3. | |
| 4. | |
| 5. | |
| 6. | |
| 7. | |
| 8. | |
Medal summary
| Mixed wheelchair rugby | Dan Buckingham Stephen Guthrie Bill Oughton Timothy Johnson Tim Johnson (Wheelchair Rugby) Tim Johnson is a past Captain of the Wheel Blacks, the New Zealand wheelchair rugby team.He has been a member of all New Zealand teams since 1998, including the gold medal-winning team at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens and the bronze medal-winning team at the 2000 Paralympics in Sydney... Geremy Tinker Jai Waite Sholto Taylor Sholto Taylor Sholto Taylor, born 1 September 1972, is a New Zealand wheelchair rugby player, and a member of the national team, the Wheel Blacks.... Gary McMurray Curtis Palmer |
Allan Cartrand Fabien Lavoie Jared Funk David Willsie Patrice Simard Mike Bacon Michael Whitehead Daniel Paradis Raymond Lizotte Garett Hickling Garett Hickling Garett Hickling is a Canadian wheelchair rugby player. He is on the Canada national wheelchair rugby team and has been voted most valuable player on several World Championships... Ian Chan Allan Semenuik |
Lynn Nelson Clifton Chunn Wayne Romero Brent Poppen Will Groulx Will Groulx Will Groulx is an American wheelchair rugby player and member of the United States wheelchair rugby team.He was part of the US team that took the gold medal at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, and a bronze medal in Athens in 2004.He served in the United States Navy from 1995 to 2001.In 2001,... Scott Hogsett Bob Lujano Andy Cohn Norman Lyduch Bryan Kirkland Mark Zupan Sam Gloor |