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| Full name | Sebastien Joseph Bechara | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 1994 Nottingham, England, United Kingdom [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Seb Bechara is an English wheelchair rugby league player who currently plays for Catalans Dragons in Elite One Championship and the England national wheelchair rugby league team.
In the King's 2023 Birthday Honours he was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to wheelchair rugby league football. [1]
Seb Bechara is an disabled wheelchair rugby league player. He was born in Nottingham, England and moved to France aged nine. In adolescence he developed an interest in motorcycling. At aged 18 he suffered a motorcycle accident resulting in an amputation of one of his legs. Following his amputation, Bechara looked into getting into para swimming after watching the 2012 London Paralympics, though a chance meeting with then France captain Cyril Torres saw him take up wheelchair rugby league. [2]
Seb Bechara has been successful in multiple Elite One Championship campaigns with Catalans Dragons. During the 2015 French off season, Bechara played for Leeds Rhinos. [3] In 2022, Bechara won the second IRL Wheelchair Golden Boot after Jack Brown in 2019. [4] [5] [6] In 2023, Bechara helped Catalans to win the inaugural European Club Challenge against UK champions Halifax after 32–32 draw resulted in a shared title. [7] A few months later he captained Catalans to their first Challenge Cup title after scoring twice in the final, with the club making their debut the UK competition the season prior. [8] 2024 saw Catalans win the European Club Challenge outright, beating Wigan 68–28 with Bechara getting a try in the match. [9] Catalans also retained the Challenge Cup in 2024, again beating Wigan in the final. [10] [11]
Seb Bechara represented England at the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup in 2017 [12] where England finished runners-up losing to France in the final. [13] Bechara was named as one of the top 10 players of the tournament. [14] Bechara also represented England in the 2021 tournament, [15] where England finished the tournament as champions, beating France 28–24 in the final. [16]
The Leeds Rhinos are a professional rugby league club in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The club play their home games at AMT Headingley Rugby Stadium and compete in the Super League, the top tier of British rugby league.
Wheelchair rugby league is a wheelchair-based version of rugby league football, one of two recognised disability versions of the sport. It was developed in France in 2000. Unlike other wheelchair sports, people without disabilities are allowed to compete in top-level competition. The sport is also unique in the fact that men and women of any age can play against each other in top-level competition.
The Catalans Dragons are a professional rugby league club from Perpignan, Pyrénées-Orientales department, France. Despite being based in France the club competes in Super League, the top tier of British rugby league
The IRL Golden Boot Award is an annual rugby league award, presented by the International Rugby League (IRL), awarded to the best player of the calendar year. There are categories for men's, women's, and wheelchair players.
Richard David Myler is a retired rugby league footballer, who is currently the director of rugby for Hull FC in the Super League. He is a member of the Ireland squad for the delayed 2021 Rugby League World Cup, having declared for Ireland in 2022. Previously he has represented England and the England Knights at international level.
The Rugby Football League Challenge Cup, commonly known just as the Challenge Cup is a knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, it is the world's oldest cup competition in either code of rugby. A concurrent Women's Challenge Cup and Wheelchair Challenge Cup have been held since 2012 and 2015 respectively.
Liam Matthew Farrell is an English rugby league footballer who plays as a second-row forward for the Wigan Warriors in the Super League, and has played for England at international level.
Tommy Makinson is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a Fullback and winger for Catalans Dragons in the Betfred Super League and England at international level.
Mickael Goudemand is a French professional rugby league footballer who last played as a second-row and loose forward for the Leeds Rhinos in the Betfred Super League and France at international level.
Jack Welsby is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a fullback, stand-off, centre or winger for St Helens R.F.C. in the Super League and England at international level.
Harry Smith is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a scrum-half and stand-off for the Wigan Warriors in the Betfred Super League and both England and the England Knights at international level.
The Wheelchair Challenge Cup is a wheelchair rugby league competition organised by the Rugby Football League.
The England national wheelchair rugby league team represents England in wheelchair rugby league. The team have played in all four World Cup tournaments, winning both the inaugural competition in 2008 and the 2021 edition on home soil, and being runners up in both 2013 and 2017. They also won the 2015 European Rugby League Championship.
The 2023 season was the Wigan Warriors's 43rd consecutive season playing in England's top division of rugby league. During the season, they competed in the Super League XXVIII and the 2023 Challenge Cup.
The final of the 2021 Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup was one of three finals of the integrated 2021 Rugby League World Cup. It was played at Manchester Central Convention Complex in Manchester on 18 November 2022, the day before the men's and women's finals.
The RFL Wheelchair Super League is the highest level of wheelchair rugby league in England and Wales.
The 2017 Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup was the third staging of the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup. The tournament was held from 20 July to 28 July 2017 and was originally planned to be held in Sydney, Australia, as part of the 2017 Festival of World Cups but was relocated to France. The tournament was won by France who defeated England 38–34 in the final in Perpignan to retain the title.
The Catalans Dragons Wheelchair Rugby League Football Club are a French wheelchair rugby league club based in Perpignan, Pyrénées-Orientales. The club competes in the Elite 1 Championship, the top tier of the French rugby league system.
Jérémy Bourson is a French wheelchair rugby league player who currently plays for Catalans Dragons in Elite One Championship and the France national wheelchair rugby league team.
James Simpson is an English former soldier of the British Army and wheelchair rugby league player, and current wheelchair rugby league coach who is currently the head coach of Leeds Rhinos in the RFL Wheelchair Super League whom he spend his entire playing career. He also had an extensive international career representing the England national wheelchair rugby league team.
