Richmond, BC -- There was stunned silence today at the 2010 World Wheelchair Rugby Championships as Team Sweden battled back from a six-point deficit to defeat Team Canada 52-51 in overtime at the 2010 World Wheelchair Rugby Championships. Canada looked to have a win in hand, but a few costly turnovers allowed the Swedes to get back in the game and break the hearts of the standing-room-only crowd.

Sweden, coached by former Canadian national team coach Marco Dispaltro, matched Canada blow for blow in the first quarter thanks to the speed and aggressiveness of Sweden's Tobias Sandberg and Per-Johann Uhlmann. Fans were impressed by the hard-hitting Swedes, who sent an aggressive message to their hosts from the opening whistle.

Towards the end of the second quarter, however, Kelowna's Garett Hickling forced a few turnovers and Canada began to pull away. Patrice Simard, from Quebec City, also made a quiet but important contribution, saving several near-turnovers and stopping higher-classed players from scoring.

Sweden tied the game with two minutes left erasing a six point lead for the Canadians. After missing a last-second chance to score, the game went into the first overtime session of the tournament locked at 48 points. Team Sweden won the overtime tip off, scored the first goal and Canada was never able to force a turnover to even the score. As the buzzer sounded, the crowd of school children, family and friends went silent, save for a small contingent of yellow-and-blue clad Swedish fans. Team Canada must now defeat the United States Friday night at 7:00 p.m. if they hope to remain in medal contention.

“We had the chance to turn the knife and we let off a bit,” said Canada’s Trevor Hirschfield.

“We took our foot off the gas. The competition is so much better now so if you let up the teams catch up to you.”

“It was a really big win…amazing actually,” said Sweden’s Team Captain, Tobias Sandberg. “We’re ranked number six and they’re ranked number three, so every team ranked higher is a big win. One thing we have is heart…that’s why we won today”.

Elsewhere, tenth-ranked Poland beat the fifth-ranked New Zealand Wheelblacks 45-43 in the tournament's most dramatic upset thus far. Yesterday, Poland gained their first-ever win at an international tournament and they continued that momentum with their aggressive play. New Zealand struggled to find an answer for the height and power of Per-Johan Uhlmann. After the game, a crowd of school children met the Polish team to ask for their autographs and sign a Polish flag they had brought, a gesture that touched the team.

"We’ve played a lot in Europe but we’ve never had attention like this," said Poland’s Piotr Wilamowski. "It is wonderful and exciting for the players.  We feel privileged that the students came here and asked for our autographs."

The USA also continued to build momentum with their 65-44 routing of Team Finland. The Finns have given other top teams trouble at this tournament, but the Americans were able to force several turnovers early in the game and never looked back. 

Team Canada’s quest to become 2010 world champions on home soil continues when they take on arch-rivals USA on Friday 24th at 7 p.m.

Photographs of today's games are available at http://www.2010wwrc.com/media/media-kit. Please credit BC Wheelchair Sports Association (BCWSA)/Kevin Bogetti-Smith.

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About wheelchair rugby

Wheelchair rugby is a team sport for male and female quadriplegics. The physically demanding full-contact team sport is played indoors on a hardwood basketball court between two teams of four players. It is a unique sport that combines some elements of basketball, handball, and ice hockey, and was created in Canada in1977 by a group of athletes with a disability in Manitoba.

About the 2010 World Wheelchair Rugby Championships

The 2010 World Wheelchair Rugby Championships are taking place at the Richmond Olympic Oval from September 21-26. The tournament will feature teams from 12 countries, including Canada (2002 World Champions), New Zealand (2004 Paralympic Champions), USA (2008 Paralympic Champions) and Australia (2010 Coupe Canada Cup holders). Also competing are Japan, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, Great Britain, Poland, Finland and Argentina. 

For the full competition schedule, visit www.2010wwrc.com. Tickets will be available at the door. You can also follow the tournament on Twitter: @2010wwrc, Facebook "2010 World Wheelchair Rugby Championships," and at www.sportscanada.tv, where games and athlete interviews will be webcast live.

Media Contacts

Anna Parisi

604-828-2875

aparisi@telus.net

Mital Shamji

778-919-5975

mital.shamji@gmail.com