Ayaz Bhuta

It’s all about rugby at the moment, and the whole world is watching.

The 2015 Rugby World Cup is on track to become the biggest in the rugby world. And this year, wheelchair rugby is at the heart of it all.

The inaugural BT World Wheelchair Rugby Challenge (BT WWRC) started earlier this week at the Copper Box Arena in London’s famous Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

Over five days, the BT WWRC is bringing together the world’s best “murderball” teams for some world-class wheelchair rugby.

This isn’t going to be an easy few days for us – we’re hoping to capitalise on home support but we’re also facing our biggest rivals.

London 2012 Paralympic gold medallists Australia, silver medallists Canada and bronze medallists the United States are all here.

Not to mention New Zealand, South Africa, Japan and France who are also battling it out to be crowned winners.

Ayaz Bhuta describes wheelchair rugby as
Ayaz Bhuta describes wheelchair rugby as "not your average sport" ©Getty Images

We have been given the chance to take on some of the world’s best and I am confident that we can do well. 

We’ve recently come back from the European Championships with a gold medal and a place booked at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games next year, so the team is feeling energised.

Wheelchair Rugby is not your average sport. After all, they don’t call it ‘"murderball’" for nothing.

It’s a really fast-paced, exciting and challenging sport. Our wheelchairs are made of reinforced metal because there are so many smashes and front-on collisions.

I used to play wheelchair basketball in Bolton, but gave club rugby a go in 2009, and fell in love with the more physical elements of the game.

Being able to play in the Copper Box this week, in front of a home crowd, is a massive opportunity for me and the rest of the team.

Disability sport has come on leaps and bounds since the London 2012 Paralympic Games and a lot of that is due to organisations like BT.

BT has been such a key supporter of Paralympic sport and having them involved in wheelchair rugby is a huge opportunity to drive the levels of engagement. I’m so proud to be a BT ambassador.

I hope that with the BT WWRC we continue to inspire young people around the UK to take up disability sport and even wheelchair rugby.