European Wheelchair Rugby Championships kick off in The Hague

On Tuesday 22 April, the European Wheelchair Rugby Championship will start at Sportcampus Zuiderpark in The Hague. Eight national teams will compete for the European title. This biennial event is an important step towards the Paralympic Games in Los Angeles 2028 and offers direct qualification for the World Cup in 2026.

Opening and finals

The tournament starts on Tuesday evening, April 22, with a spectacular opening ceremony and the match Netherlands - Sweden. The group matches will take place from Wednesday to Friday, followed by the intermediate round on Saturday. The finals will be played on Sunday, April 27, and the European champion will be crowned.

The most beautiful sport you've never heard of

Wheelchair rugby, also known as 'murderball', is a unique Paralympic sport for athletes with disabilities in their arms and legs. The sport combines elements of rugby, basketball and ice hockey, and offers a spectacular mix of physical confrontations, speed and tactics. Eight of Europe's best teams - the Netherlands, Sweden, Great Britain, Poland, Denmark, Switzerland, Germany and France - will compete in The Hague for the medals. According to Reda Haouam, player of the Dutch team, wheelchair rugby is "the most beautiful sport you've never heard of".

Martin van Hinte, national coach of TeamNL, agrees:

"My American colleague recently joked that in our sport people with disabilities try to give other people with disabilities a handicap. Although this is exaggerated, it can sometimes be very tough. It's all about tactics and sharpness, and spectacle is guaranteed!"

International allure and local pride

Sports alderman Hilbert Bredemeijer is proud that The Hague can host a parasport event with international allure.

“The European Wheelchair Rugby Championships will be a fantastic sports tournament in the Zuiderpark Sports Campus, with exciting and spectacular top-level matches. It will be a sporting celebration for and with the entire city, where we show that sports are for everyone, with or without a disability. This tournament is a model of inclusive sports that The Hague will continue to build on, including by setting up a local wheelchair rugby team. A call to all sports enthusiasts: come to the Sports Campus for a match or participate in the many cool side events.”

Social impact

The social side events are an important part of this event. Willem Gallé, project leader of the European Wheelchair Rugby Championship on behalf of organizer Team TOC, emphasizes:

"We want to make an impact with unique sports. This time we do that with the European Wheelchair Rugby Championship. We bring absolute top sports to The Hague, and thanks to the involvement of the municipality and other partners, there are also many social activities on the program. In this way, we jointly create lasting progress in the field of inclusivity. There is, among other things, a blind stand for sports fans with a visual impairment and various clinics are organized. During the tournament, multi-sport days are held for people with a muscular disease or a visual impairment and on April 19 there are pop-up fields in the center of The Hague. In this way, we bring the sport to the people so that everyone can experience what it is like to play sports in a wheelchair!"