Ryadh Sallem is on track for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games

Born in Canada in 1977, wheelchair rugby is a composite of several sports: basketball, field hockey and American soccer. The discipline only made its appearance at the Paralympic Games in Sydney (Australia) in 2000. "It's a collective combat sport," explains Ryadh Sallem, founder of CAP sport art aventure amitié (CAPSAAA) Paris, and member of the French wheelchair rugby team, "and it's one of the only disciplines in which quadriplegics can play as a team in".

Paris hosted the Wheelchair Rugby World Cup in October 2023 at the Halle Carpentier (13th arrondissement), with a final at the Accor Arena. Ryadh Sallem qualified for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games with the support of the City of Paris.

Wheelchair rugby is a game played by two teams, each consisting of four players. The competition takes place on a basketball court, with the teams using a volleyball. Each player maneuvers a wheelchair that is equipped with bumpers. The objective of the game is to cross the opponent’s goal line, thereby scoring a point. The rules permit passing, including forward passing, as well as dribbling.

"The discipline is super spectacular," says Ryadh Sallem. The first time I went to a match, I was blown away by the level of commitment. It's a bit like bumper cars, with the added intelligence of the game. Even if the rules are far removed from rugby, there's an intensity and conviviality off the pitch that both sports share," he says.

In competition, only athletes with a disability affecting all four limbs are admitted, as specified on the French Handisport Federation website.

But the discipline can also be played as a leisure activity by people with only upper-limb impairments, who don't need a wheelchair to get around.

Wheelchair basketball is another well-known disability sport. This discipline has been part of the Paralympic Games since their creation in Rome (Italy) in 1960. For a long time, it was the only team sport accessible to wheelchair users.

Played in over 90 countries, wheelchair basketball is played 5-v-5 and is aimed at people with disabilities affecting at least the lower or upper part of the body: paraplegia, poliomyelitis, amputation.

"Wheelchair basketball has enabled me to live out my passion for sport," says Ryadh Sallem, who has taken part in the Paralympics six times. As a teenager, I used to watch the NBA on TV, and I dreamed of playing basketball". It was a discipline that helped him to " forge his mental strength", while at the same time instilling "the values of sport: friendship and respect for one's opponent". His Olympic memories remain engraved in his mind: "At my first Games in Barcelona, in 1992, I was blown away by the richness of the world, by the diversity of cultures and represented countries".

CAPSAAA Paris offers recreational and competitive activities, for both wheelchair rugby and wheelchair basketball.