Wheelchair rugby is life changing, says player

Kyran Bishop said that wheelchair rugby "means my life"

A wheelchair rugby player who started competing as a teenager says the game has changed his life.

Kyran Bishop, who has cerebral palsy, began playing wheelchair rugby at the age of 15.

The 21-year-old said before discovering the sport, he watched TV all the time.

In the first wheelchair rugby judgement day, he will compete on Wales' largest sporting stage as part of the 2023 Wheelchair Rugby European Championships at Cardiff's Principality Stadium.

"It's going to be epic. The whole experience," he said.

Kyran plays for Ospreys, a professional rugby union club based in Swansea. Since joining the team, he said his confidence has rocketed.

"Before I played rugby, I didn't actually do anything. I was very lazy.

"I would literally come home from school and college to eat sweets and chocolates and just watch telly all day," Kyran said.

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"But now, playing wheelchair rugby, I have to focus on my fitness. I have to be the best I can be."

The game, which will see Kyran's team go up against the Dragons, will take place on the final day of the championships.

"Wheelchair rugby means my life. I love this sport and Ospreys is my family at the end of the day," he said.

"My biggest issue was when I was growing up, I didn't have many friends. So playing wheelchair rugby was my friend. Now I'm here with my friends."

Gareth Stokes has been involved in the game for over three decades

The sport has evolved a lot over the years, and the Ospreys team coach Gareth Stokes has been there for many of the changes over his nearly 35-year involvement.

"We used to just play in our everyday chairs with bungee cords holding our feet back," the 53-year-old recalled.

"We used to break fingers in the spokes, and fall backwards, so some changes have been most welcome," he said.

Gareth is excited about the experience his team will have on Sunday.

"When I started playing, never did I think we'd be playing wheelchair rugby in an iconic stadium like the Principality Stadium," he said.

The European Championships will take place from 3 to 7 May at the Principality Stadium

The European Wheelchair Rugby Championships see Europe's top eight teams battle in a tournament and the chance to qualify for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

Although Wales will not be competing in the championships, the Ospreys v Dragons Judgement Day game on the final day will be an opportunity to showcase regional wheelchair rugby in the country.

Nathan Flay is the Ospreys wheelchair rugby captain

It is an event that Ospreys captain Nathan Flay hopes could draw in new players.

"I think it's one of those sports where you don't really understand it until you play it," said the 20-year-old.

"Hopefully there will be people who will come across from all over Wales and just watch it and go, wow, I want to have a go".

The Principality Stadium will be transformed for the championships

The event, hosted in the capital, will also involve a transformation of the Principality Stadium. A hard floor for the wheelchairs will be installed, along with new stands for spectators within the stadium.

"It's a bit mind-blowing really - going there and watching the men's national Welsh team playing there. To then being on that court is going to be insane," said Nathan.

Keith Jones was introduced to the game when it first came to the UK

It will be a far more glamorous introduction to the sport than the Ospreys assistant coach Keith Jones first had.

"I saw a demo on in the carpark, and immediately thought 'I'm going to dump the sports I'm doing right now and take up wheelchair rugby,'" he said.

He started wheelchair rugby when it first came to the UK, and represented Team GB in the first ever Paralympic games which featured the sport in Atlanta 1996, and again in Sydney 2000.

Keith Jones represented team GB at the Sydney Olympics 2000

He said the benefits of the game are huge.

"Once you've done it, you'll want to do it again," he said.

"It gets you chair ability, camaraderie, you can talk to people socially about the problems you're encountering and they can tell you how they solve those problems themselves. It's got a social side to it as well as a fitness side to it, it's a really great game."

The European Wheelchair Rugby Championships are at the Principality Stadium from Wednesday-Sunday, 3-7 May.