Choudhury & The Birch Back Team GB As King Power Quad Nations Returns!

- King Power Quad Nations returns to Leicester on Friday evening
- Great Britain, Australia and the USA, three of the world's four best teams, will compete
- Hamza Choudhury and Alan Birchenall have wished Team GB well ahead of the tournament
- The competition is another example of King Power's commitment to world-class sport in Leicester

The three-team tournament - featuring three of the four best sides in the world - takes place at Morningside Arena, the home of 2018 British Basketball League champions, Leicester Riders.

All competitors - who will feature at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo - were either born with physical disabilities, experienced life-changing injuries or suffered an illness affecting their mobility.

Commonly referred to as ‘Murderball’, wheelchair rugby is a supercharged and physical battle; an enthralling, action-packed sport played in four past-paced, eight-minute quarters.

On Tuesday, the Great Britain team, including some of the best players on the planet, visited Leicester City's training ground to meet the Foxes' first team squad ahead of Friday's Quad Nations opener.

The 2020 contest will be the third time in a row Leicester has hosted the competition as part of King Power's long-term vision to establish the city as a venue for world-class sporting occasions.

The hospitality began with a tour of the facilities from 'The Birch', City's much-loved Club Ambassador, who told tales of his own playing days, the 2016 Premier League title win, and the current crop of stars.

"It’s great for the lads to come down, just seeing another side of sport," The Birch told LCFC TV. "I’ve watched wheelchair rugby, it’s brutal! They take no prisoners, but I think the lads are enjoying it so far.

"It’s great to have them down and they’ve got the big game on Friday night here in Leicester, so I say to any Leicester City fans that are not doing anything on Friday night… why not take a trip along?"

Expand photo

The Birch

The Birch delivered a tour of the facilities at Belvoir Drive.

For Choudhury, meanwhile, Team GB's visit to Belvoir Drive was an opportunity for the Foxes squad to learn about a new sport and to wish them well ahead of the three-day tournament.

"It’s really nice for them to come and see how other athletes train and obviously they’ve got a really big tournament coming up this weekend," the Academy graduate said.

"King Power are hosting again for the third time, so it’s really nice for them to have somewhere which they feel like they can call home.

"It's the last tournament before the Paralympics in Tokyo, so it was nice to see them and chat to them and see how much of a difference it is for them, from their training to ours, so it was nice."

For more information about the tournament, in which the winners will receive the Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha Trophy, click HERE.