A Fukuoka Dandelion member, left, plays during a joint training session with the Heat, a team based in the Kansai region, in Hofu, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan.
Fukuoka, Japan:
Wheels bumped against each other, filling the gym with metallic sounds similar to those heard at traffic accidents. Wheelchairs bounced into the air and flipped over.
Players tackled, passed and stole the ball to race toward the goal. Wheelchair rugby is as powerful as regular rugby, with one exception: The shape of the ball is spherical, not oval.
Fukuoka Dandelion was formed in Fukuoka, Japan, two years ago as the first wheelchair rugby team in a region comprising the island of Kyushu plus Yamaguchi Prefecture.
The creation of the team was triggered when Susumu Tsubota, a 32-year-old licensed social insurance consultant, met with Takashi Hori, 29, a company employee who once belonged to a wheelchair rugby team in Okinawa Prefecture. Tsubota, who played at rugby powerhouse Waseda University, worked hard to form a team so that Hori could play wheelchair rugby in his hometown of Fukuoka.
The team was named in the hope that it would become part of the local community like a dandelion taking root in the ground.
Wheelchair rugby is played between teams of four players each. The Dandelion currently has seven players. In addition to those living in Fukuoka Prefecture, two members take part in three practice sessions each month from Yamaguchi Prefecture, with one working at the prefectural government and the other as an official at the Hofu municipal government.
Natsuki Ando, 21, sustained a spinal injury in his neck during a judo class when he was a first-year high school student, paralyzing his lower body and fingers.
Ando had thought that sports for disabled people were "just for fun" until he came across wheelchair rugby, finding himself fascinated by how powerful the sport is.
"Training is really tough, but I've never felt like quitting the sport," said Ando, now a student at Kyushu Sangyo University. "How much training I've done helps me feel confident in the way I play."
Hori, a member of the national team for the 2014 Asian Para Games, is now a key player for the Dandelion. "We aim to win the national championship three years from now, and make our team strong enough to compete at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2020," Hori said.
Rugby has come into the spotlight following outstanding performances by the Brave Blossoms at last year's Rugby World Cup. "Thanks to [that popularity], we have an increasing number of people coming to watch our team's training," Tsubota said, hoping that his team will enjoy widespread popularity, just as dandelion puffs fly away in the wind.
© 2016 The Washington Post
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Players tackled, passed and stole the ball to race toward the goal. Wheelchair rugby is as powerful as regular rugby, with one exception: The shape of the ball is spherical, not oval.
Fukuoka Dandelion was formed in Fukuoka, Japan, two years ago as the first wheelchair rugby team in a region comprising the island of Kyushu plus Yamaguchi Prefecture.
The creation of the team was triggered when Susumu Tsubota, a 32-year-old licensed social insurance consultant, met with Takashi Hori, 29, a company employee who once belonged to a wheelchair rugby team in Okinawa Prefecture. Tsubota, who played at rugby powerhouse Waseda University, worked hard to form a team so that Hori could play wheelchair rugby in his hometown of Fukuoka.
Takashi Hori goes out for lunch with his colleagues in Fukuoka, Japan.
Wheelchair rugby is played between teams of four players each. The Dandelion currently has seven players. In addition to those living in Fukuoka Prefecture, two members take part in three practice sessions each month from Yamaguchi Prefecture, with one working at the prefectural government and the other as an official at the Hofu municipal government.
Natsuki Ando, 21, sustained a spinal injury in his neck during a judo class when he was a first-year high school student, paralyzing his lower body and fingers.
Ando had thought that sports for disabled people were "just for fun" until he came across wheelchair rugby, finding himself fascinated by how powerful the sport is.
"Training is really tough, but I've never felt like quitting the sport," said Ando, now a student at Kyushu Sangyo University. "How much training I've done helps me feel confident in the way I play."
Children try their hand at wheelchair rugby during a break at the joint training session.
Rugby has come into the spotlight following outstanding performances by the Brave Blossoms at last year's Rugby World Cup. "Thanks to [that popularity], we have an increasing number of people coming to watch our team's training," Tsubota said, hoping that his team will enjoy widespread popularity, just as dandelion puffs fly away in the wind.
© 2016 The Washington Post
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
