Wheelchair rugby, also known as Quad Rugby is a team sport for athletes with a disability. When we think of the term "Rugby", we think of overgrown men with high testosterone tackling each other, running back and forth on a field with a ball shaped like an American football. Wheelchair rugby is similar in terms of the hitting and tackling of opponents, but that's all that is similar of the two sports.

Wheelchair rugby is a sport with roots originating from ice hockey and wheelchair basketball. The sport of wheelchair rugby was created in 1977 by five Canadians living in Winnipeg, Manitoba to be a sport equivalent to wheelchair basketball for quadriplegic athletes. And the reason why wheelchair rugby was originally called murderball was due to the sports aggressive, full-contact nature.

In order for eligibility in wheelchair rugby, all players must have various disabilities that prevent them from playing in able-bodied sport competitions. Players must also have some form of disability with a loss of function in both the upper and lower body to be considered as eligible for wheelchair rugby. Majority of the players in wheelchair rugby have some form of spinal cord injuries to their cervical vertebrae.

Other disabilities include multiple amputations, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, polio, and Guillain-Barré syndrome. Players are classified according to their functional level and assigned a point value ranging from 0.5 (the lowest functional level) to 3.5 (the highest). The total classification value of all players on the court for a team at one time cannot exceed eight points.

The general rules of wheelchair rugby are it is played by two teams of up to twelve players. Four players from each team may be on the court at one time. Wheelchair rugby is a mixed sport; therefore both male and female athletes may play on the same teams. The playing field is played indoors on a hardwood floor and is the same regulation size of a basketball court.

A player with possession of the ball must bounce or pass the ball within ten seconds and goals are scored when players carry the ball over their opponents' goal line. Each game consists of four eight-minute quarters. And if the game is tied at the end of regulation play, three-minute overtime periods are played to determine the outcome of the game.

The sport of wheelchair rugby can become very intense as physical contact between wheelchairs is permitted and this forms a major component of the game. However, there are rules that prohibit players from hitting an opposing player from behind and physical contacts between players are not allowed.

Due to the nature of the sport, the design and construction of the wheelchair needs to meet specific guidelines for wheelchair rugby. Important design features include a front bumper, designed to help strike and hold opposing wheelchairs, and wings, which are positioned in front of the main wheel to make the wheelchair more difficult to stop and hold. All wheelchairs must also be equipped with spoke protectors, to prevent damage to the wheels, and an anti-tip device at the back.

In terms of the actual ball used in wheelchair rugby, it is nothing close to the actual rugby ball used in the sport of rugby. The wheelchair rugby ball is identical in size and shape to regulation volleyball and in most cases they are over-inflated to provide a better bounce.

Wheelchair Rugby is relatively new to the world of sport for persons with a disability and is rapidly developing around the world. The sport was included on the Paralympic competition programme at the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games and is currently practiced by 22 countries. And with the ever-growing popularity of wheelchair rugby, the sport was made into a documentary film called "Murderball" now released on DVD.