Officials

Referees are highly skilled technical officials who control all aspects of the game, including scoring, fouls, violations & chair checks. Each wheelchair rugby match is officiated by two on court referees.

Referees are required to undertake testing, on court evaluations and annual fitness tests to progress as referees.

An understanding of wheelchair rugby is essential for our referees. Education about the sport and gameplay is learnt throughout the certification and education process when becoming a referee. Many of our referees started their journeys in either basketball, rugby or on the scorebench for wheelchair rugby.

Helpful Referee Resources

• World Wheelchair Rugby International Rules

• World Wheelchair Rugby Training Manual

• World Wheelchair Rugby Referee Checklist

• World Wheelchair Rugby Referee Signals

• World Wheelchair Rugby Technical Resource Hub

• Fundamentals of Wheelchair Rugby Course through Rugby Xplorer

Score bench officials sit courtside and are responsible for timekeeping, scorekeeping and monitoring the penalty box throughout each wheelchair rugby match.

There are four specific scorebench roles in wheelchair rugby:

• Timekeeper: controls the game clock and stoppages

• Scorekeeper: responsible for documenting the game score, statistics and timeouts on the official scoresheet

• Forty second clock operator: responsible for managing the forty second shot clock throughout the game

• Penalty box: responsible for managing and documenting players who enter the penalty box

An understanding of wheelchair rugby is desirable, however, many of the score bench roles can be learnt through training. Many of our current scorebench officials have a background in basketball which can be of assistance when learning wheelchair rugby.

Helpful Scorebench Resources

• Wheelchair Rugby Table Officials Manual

• World Wheelchair Rugby Technical Resource Hub

• Fundamentals of Wheelchair Rugby Course through Rugby Xplorer

Classification is a unique and integral part of sport for persons with disabilities. The purpose of classification is to ensure fair and equitable competition at all levels of sport and to allow athletes to compete at the highest level, regardless of individual differences in physical function.

Classifiers are sports officials with a medical or sport science background who have completed the required training and certification. They assess athletes to determine their eligibility for Para-sport competition and provide them with a sport class and sport class status at the conclusion of the assessment.

It is essential for a classifier to understand wheelchair rugby or have a strong desire to learn about the sport.

Helpful Classifier Resources

• Wheelchair Rugby Australia Classification Hub

• World Wheelchair Rugby Classification Hub

• Classification Fundamentals Course from Paralympics Australia and Sport Integrity Australia