ENGLISH FOR THE GAMES Wheelchair rugby When athletes come together from around the world to compete in the Olympic and Paralympic Games, they are fulfilling their dreams and competing at the highest level. Billions of people across the globe join in; watching, listening to and reading about the greatest global celebration of sport. To celebrate the London 2012 Games, the British Council is making a wide range of classroom resources available for learners of English worldwide. Wheelchair rugby was invented in Canada in the 1970s. It is played by mixed teams of four men and women with a disability that affects both their arms and legs. Teams score if a player carries the ball across the opposition’s goal line. Have you ever seen a game of wheelchair rugby? Tip-off Court Key area Manual wheelchair Goal line To find out more visit www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish © British Council 2011 Brand and Design/B122 1. Vocabulary a. Write the correct words in the spaces provided. c. manual a. court b. goal line d. tip-off e. key area wheelchair 2 3 4 1 5 2. The rules of Wheelchair Rugby What is it? Wheelchair Rugby is a mixed sport in that teams can contain both men and women. It includes elements of basketball, ice hockey and handball. The object of the game is to carry the ball across the other team’s goal line as many times as possible. Who can compete? Wheelchair Rugby is open to severely disabled wheelchair athletes with disabilities to both legs and arms. Classification There are seven classes, each of which has a point rating on a scale between 0.5 and 3.5. The ratings are based on functional ability associated with the game of rugby. The most severely disabled athletes receive a lower points rating. The more physically able athletes receive a higher points rating. Each team of four players is allowed a maximum of 8 points. How is it played? The ball is the same size and shape as a volleyball. A game consists of four quarters of eight minutes each. The game begins with a tip-off. A goal is scored when a player touches or crosses the other team’s goal line, inside the key area, while in control of the ball. The player with the ball must bounce or pass it at least every 10 seconds. When a team gets possession of the ball, they have 40 seconds to score a goal. Contact between wheelchairs is allowed, but physical contact is a foul. If a player commits a minor foul the other team gets possession of the ball. If a player commits a more serious foul s/he must leave the court for one minute. a. Match the words in the table with their definitions below. a. court b. foul c. goal line d. key area e. manual f. quarter g. tip-off wheelchair 1. A wheelchair that is powered by its owner’s hands, and does not have a motor 2. An 8-metre-by-1.75-metre section at either end of the court at the goal line 3. To stop or interfere with an opposing player in an illegal way 4. One of the four eight-minute periods of time that a game is divided into 5. The line that an athlete must touch or carry the ball over to score a point 6. The playing area, which is the size of a basketball court 7. To start the game the referee throws the ball in the air and a player from each team attempts to hit the ball to a member of their team 3. Reading Murderball This sport was officially named ‘wheelchair rugby’ in the late 1980s. Until then, this thrilling and intense sport was known as ‘murderball’ - the name that a group of Canadian wheelchair athletes had given it when they invented it in 1976. ‘Murderball’ is also the title of a 2005 American documentary film which was nominated for Best Documentary Feature for the famous Academy Awards. It tells the story of a group of wheelchair rugby players and focuses on the rivalry between the Canadian and US teams leading up to the 2004 Paralympic Games. Although it was made on a very low budget it got excellent reviews. In fact the Rotten Tomatoes film review website described it as "An entertaining and gripping documentary that shows being confined to a wheelchair doesn't mean the fun has to end." The film was also used in a US campaign called "Get Into the Game", aimed at raising public awareness about people with disabilities. With publicity like that it is not surprising that the game is believed to be the fastest growing wheelchair sport in the world. Incidentally, the gold medal for wheelchair rugby at the 2004 Paralympics Games was won by New Zealand, with Canada second and the USA third. a. Decide which sentence is true in each question. 1. The sport ... a. has always been called ‘wheelchair rugby’. b. was originally called ‘murderball’ but is now called ‘wheelchair rugby’. c. was originally called ‘wheelchair rugby’ but is now called ‘murderball’. d. has always been called ‘murderball’. 2. The film is about the a. at the 2004 Paralympic Games. Canadian and US b. at the Academy Awards. wheelchair rugby teams … c. competing for the same thing. d. making a documentary film. 3. The film … a. cost a lot to make but the film critics didn’t like it. b. cost a lot to make but the film critics liked it. c. did not cost much to make but the film critics didn’t like it. d. did not cost much to make but the film critics liked it. 4. The Rotten Tomatoes film a. helped to make wheelchair rugby more popular. review and the "Get Into b. made wheelchair rugby a faster sport. the Game" campaign … c. were not surprising. d. were made as publicity for the film. b. Complete each of the sentences below with one of the prepositions. a. at b. by c. for d. on e. to 1. The animal is known (……….) at least three names: mountain lion, puma and cougar. 2. The film was nominated (……….) an award. 3. We should focus (……….) the important parts of the plan. 4. The prisoner is confined (……….) his cell for 20 hours a day. 5. The programme is aimed (……….) young people between the ages of 18 and 25. 4. Solution Exercise 1a 1. c; 2. d; 3.a; 4. e; 5. b Exercise 2a 1. e; 2. d; 3. b; 4. f; 5. c; 6. a; 7. g Exercise 3a 1. b; 2. c; 3. d; 4. a Exercise 3b 1. by; 2. for; 3. on; 4. to; 5. at .