Supporting Qufora Egmont Open

Wheelchair rugby is for everyone

Qufora is celebrating wheelchair rugby as the main sponsor at the international
tournament Qufora Egmont Open in April 2022.

After having postponed the event for two years because of COVID, Qufora Egmont
Open is finally happening this year with participation from professional teams from
countries all over Europe.

To prepare for the event, Qufora watched a training session with the Danish team,
Frederiksberg Falcons. A lot of the players from the team are looking forward to
participating in the tournament in April. During small breaks in the training session,
we got a chance to talk to some of the players about the important role wheelchair
rugby plays in their lives.

Sebastian: Like a turtle in the water

As a professional player Sebastian Frederiksen has participated in tournaments like the Paralympics and the European Championships. Sebastian Frederiksen has cerebral palsy and can walk, but when he sits in his rugby wheelchair, he feels much faster.

“I feel like a turtle in the water! I move faster and better in my chair than when walking. To me this is pure freedom,” Sebastian Frederiksen explains.

Being a part of a team like Frederiksberg Falcons is also special to Sebastian Frederiksen.

“It’s important to me to spend time with like-minded people. I feel included. Even though we are all different, we are all different together,” he says.

Leon: “It is very meaningful to me”

Leon Jørgensen is also a part of the Danish national team, and he has also played wheelchair rugby in the US for four seasons.

To him the sport means everything.

“I spend almost all my time on this. It means a lot,” he says.

He appreciates that companies like Qufora support the sport.

“Our sponsorships give us more possibilities to play and to get equipment. As you have seen during our training today, it’s a rough sport and our chairs and wheels need replacement occasionally.”

Thomas Pagh: “Wheelchair rugby is for everyone”

Thomas Pagh has been playing wheelchair rugby for more than 20 years. What attracted him to the sport, in the beginning, was the intensity.

“When I was first injured I had difficulties getting appetite because I wasn’t moving as much as I used to. Wheelchair rugby changed that,” he says.

Thomas Pagh also participated in the Paralympics in Japan and at this training session, he helps some of the newer players with the tactics. One of the parts about wheelchair rugby that he especially enjoys.

“You don’t have to be the fastest person or be the best at catching or throwing the ball. If you understand the tactics, you can also be an essential part of the game. Wheelchair rugby is for everyone.”

Morten: “It gets my heart rate up”

Morten Andersen started playing wheelchair rugby half a year ago. He drives an hour each way two times a week to play with the team Frederiksberg Falcons in Copenhagen.

“Sitting in a wheelchair you can’t just call the local football club and ask if you can be a part of the team. That’s why I really appreciate having found this sport. It gets my heart rate up and I get some exercise,” Morten Andersen says.

What is wheelchair rugby?

Wheelchair rugby is originally a sport developed by people with a spinal cord injury. Therefore, many people who play the sport are spinal cord injured with varying degrees of paralysis in all four limbs. It is a fast and dynamic mixed-team sport where male and female players compete in teams of four to carry the ball across the opposing team’s goal line to score. Players use their chairs to block and hold opponents where necessary, and during a game punctured tyres and wheelchairs flipping over make it an exciting sport, combining brute force with skill and tactics.

What is Wheelchair rugby?

Watch a wheelchair rugby training session at the Frederiksberg Falcons.

Play Video

Why does Qufora support the sport?

A big group of Qufora’s users have neurological disorders that can lead to symptoms of faecal incontinence or chronic constipation. Qufora wants to help enable sports for everyone and the community-feeling that comes out of participating in a sport like wheelchair rugby. Such initiatives are in harmony with our contribution to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals in regard to good health and well-being (Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all ages) and in supporting parasport organisations with their mission of creating better opportunities for disabled athletes (Goal 10: Reduce inequality among countries).

“Qufora develops products that enable people with chronic bowel problems to live a better life. That is our mission as a company. We want to help people spend time on what is important to them – such as playing wheelchair rugby rather than spending time on the toilet. We are proud supporters of an international tournament like the Qufora Egmont Open,” says Sales Director Niels Balle.

When and where?

Qufora Egmont Open is a three-league tournament from April 1 to April 3 2022 taking place at Egmont Højskolen in Denmark. It is free to watch the tournament.