SA wheelchair rugby to host Asia-Oceania champs
For the first time since 2009, a South African wheelchair rugby team is gearing up for the all-important IWRF 2013 Asia-Oceania Championship taking place next week at the University of Pretoria.
File picture: Bennie Dorfling during the 2005 Oceania Zone Wheelchair Rugby Tournament Semi-final between South Africa and New Zealand at Carnival City in Brakpan, South Africa. Photo by Gallo Images
Getting to the final of the tournament is the South African team’s focus, with plans of snatching Japan’s fifth ranking, and paving the way to securing a medal at the 2016 Rio Paralympics, coach Peter Martin said.
World ranked national teams the Australian Steelers (2), who took gold at the 2012 London Paralympics, Japan (5) and New Zealand’s Wheelblacks (10) would all be participating in the tournament, which was a qualifier for next year’s World Championships in Denmark.
Australia, fresh off a loss to the United States in a recent Tri-Nations event, were the favourites for the event.
– Sapa
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