Photo by Lexi Coon.
The Four Nations Wheelchair Rugby Tournament will be May 22-25, with matches for medals on the last day, at the Lakeshore Foundation.
Four of the top wheelchair rugby teams in the world will face one another at the Lakeshore Foundation this month.
Lakeshore is the home of the U.S. Wheelchair Rugby team, and Mandy Goff, the team’s high performance manager, said this tournament will be the “last chance for anyone to see USAWR on home soil” before they go to qualifying tournaments for the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo.
The Four Nations Wheelchair Rugby Tournament will be May 22-25, with matches for medals on the last day. The teams are from the U.S., the United Kingdom, Japan and Australia. All four are among the top five teams in the world, with Australia currently in the top spot, Tournament Director Lauren Cherney said.
This is a major tournament for the Lakeshore Foundation to host, Goff said. It hosted the Tri-Nations Tournament two years ago and would like to begin hosting large international tournaments more frequently.
All games are open to the public, and there is no admission fee. Cherney said they want “as many people in the stands as possible,” and they encourage flags, face paint and other shows of support.
“Wheelchair rugby is the only full contact Paralympic sport, so they can expect to see a lot of speed, a lot of action, a lot of big hits,” Cherney said.
As the teams are preparing for the Paralympics, she said the games will likely be close and exciting.
Visit lakeshore.org and usawr.org for more information and game schedules for the Four Nations tournament and the U.S. wheelchair rugby team.
