Wheelchair Rugby League players from the Medway Dragons club will be showcasing this exciting sport alongside other Paralympic sports at the Naidex South disability and healthcare event this week.

Building on last year’s successful launch, Naidex South (19th – 20th October, ExCeL London) is fast becoming a highlight on the calendar of disability and healthcare events, and this year the organisers are taking inspiration from the 2012 Paralympics which will have a strong influence on the development of the show.

Britain has a proud history of Paralympic sport, with the first event taking place at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in 1948 when hospitals treating British war veterans with spinal injuries competed against each other.

Naidex South intends to celebrate this heritage by incorporating the excitement of the global sporting event into its two day exhibition. The show is completely free to attend and for more information or to register for free entry simply visit www.naidex.co.uk/south

One such feature is the Paralympic Sports Showcase which will celebrate the talents of disabled athletes with live demonstrations, encouraging visitors to get involved in sports by offering information on local clubs they can contact after the show.

Event Director Liz Virgo commented: “We are delighted to be adding this new feature to Naidex South and intend to make it a source of inspiration to all our visitors. Not only will it showcase the Paralympic sports that will be seen during the 2012 games but it will do so in the venue where the athletes will actually be competing!

“The timing is perfect, as it will capture the excitement of London 2012 at a time when tickets for the Paralympics go on sale, so there is sure to be a huge buzz about the Paralympic Sports Showcase feature.”
Developed in France back in 2000, Wheelchair Rugby League was introduced to the UK back in 2005.

The game is quite unique in that it offers both disabled and non-disabled players the opportunity to compete both with and against each other.

No matter what gender or age all players compete on level playing field which is created by the use of wheelchairs and some slight adaptions of the rules of Rugby League.
There is now a Wheelchair Rugby League Super League in the UK  as well as a Championship competition, Medway are a relatively new side who have already made massive progress in this rapidly expanding sport.

A brief overview of the game includes:
•    There are five players on each side
•    The object of the game is to score tries
•    Conversions are scored by punching the ball over the mini-posts from a tee
•    Tackles are made in the same way as Tag Rugby by pulling off the attached tag
•    Five tackles are followed by the handing over of possession
•    Offside, knock-on and in-touch apply just like in the full version of the game

For more information on Wheelchair Rugby League visit http://www.therfl.co.uk/play/wheelchair