Comprised of athletes representing all three zones, the Athletes' Council will become the collective voice of the sport at all levels within the IWRF.

Germany's Jens Sauerbier, IWRF Athlete Representative and Board Member, will chair the Council and is joined by Australian Paralympic gold medallist Jason Lees, South Korea's Jaewoong Choi, Jason Regier of the United States, Canadian Fabian Lavoie, Germany's Christian Götze, Ireland's Allan Lynch and Frenchman Sébastien Lhuissier.

"We have selected seven athletes who are all well qualified to serve on this council; and together we will be seeking input from players, classifiers, officials and others who participate in wheelchair rugby so that we can discuss their concerns, and those of the sport," said Sauerbier.

The Athletes' Council will meet by conference call several times each year, and encourages people to provide them with feedback in person at tournaments, or by sending them an email.

Australian Jason Lee will be representing the Asia-Oceania region in the IWRF Athletes Council chaired by Germany's Jens Sauerbier ©APC


It will provide a number of tasks for wheelchair rugby players including, providing a forum for athletes to share their views on matters of interest and concern to athletes; communicating with athletes to solicit input, identify issues, provide education, and disseminate information; advising the IWRF Board of Directors and Standing Committees on behalf of wheelchair rugby athletes; and providing athlete representatives for IWRF Standing Committees and Zone Committees.

Other functions the Council will undertake include providing input and feedback to the IWRF Technical Committee on proposed changes to the international rules; providing input and feedback to the IWRF Classification Committee on proposed changes to the IWRF Classification Manual; and providing an opportunity for leadership development among wheelchair rugby athletes.

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April 2013: International Wheelchair Rugby Federation to establish Athletes Council