King Power Quad Nations Brings World-Class Sport To Leicester
- Inaugural King Power Wheelchair Rugby Quad Nations comes to a close in Leicester
- As part of King Power's bid to bring world-class sport to Leicester, thousands of fans attended over three days
- The USA lifted the crown on Sunday afternoon, while Great Britain narrowly missed out on bronze
Pitting four of the world’s best wheelchair rugby teams against each other, spectators were treated to plenty of thrills and spills as part of King Power’s ongoing bid to bring sport of the highest quality to Leicester.
European champions and hosts Great Britain got off to the best possible start at the home of BBL holders Leicester Riders, narrowly beating the USA 50-47 on Friday.
Over the following two days, fans were also able to watch Japan, bronze medalists at the Rio 2016 Olympics, and reigning Paralympic champions Australia compete for the crown.
However, it was the USA who came out on top on the last day of action, overcoming Australia 54-51 in the Final as Great Britain were denied a bronze medal by Japan, losing out 44-41.
“It’s brilliant to be here. We picked Leicester for its sporting heritage,” Team GB Wheelchair Rugby Chief Executive David Pond said last week, speaking ahead of August’s World Championships in Sydney.
“With King Power coming on board, it’s just tremendous. Of course, the arena here is brilliant too.
“This is an amazing game because when you talk about wheelchair rugby, people don’t quite understand the concept.
"There’s crashes, there’s chairs tipping over. It’s really exciting because there’s an incredible amount of action.”