The memory of Khun Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, the former chairman of Leicester City Football Club who tragically died last year, is to be honoured at the 2019 King Power Wheelchair Rugby Quad Nations tournament by having the winning team’s trophy dedicated to him.
The international King Power Wheelchair Rugby Quad Nations tournament, which will see teams from Great Britain, Japan, Canada and France do battle at Leicester’s Morningside Arena from the 1st to the 3rd March, will culminate in the presentation of The Vichai Trophy to the winning team rounding off three incredible days of fast paced, high octane, supercharged sport.
The Vichai Trophy was exclusively revealed to Football fans during the Leicester City match with Brighton on Tuesday evening (February 26), when international GB Wheelchair Rugby players taking part in this year’s tournament unveiled the trophy and talked to fans about the tournament.
From day one, King Power and its former chairman’s support was crucial to
the outstanding success of the inaugural tournament and enabled an audience
of over 5,000 spectators to be introduced to the adrenaline rush that is Wheelchair
Rugby. Their continued support of the King Power Wheelchair Rugby Quad Nations will ensure that this second tournament will be bigger and better than ever before.
The family of Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, who tragically died last October in a helicopter crash outside the stadium, have given their blessing for the memorial trophy at the popular tournament, which has, once again, been sponsored by King Power. The Vichai Trophy will then be awarded annually to each tournament winner as a long-lasting tribute.
David Pond, Chief Executive Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby said: “It’s a great tribute that the family of Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha has agreed that the King Power Wheelchair Rugby Quad Nations
trophy be named in his honour. The personal commitment he made to the tournament is but one example of his enduring legacy. His family can feel proud that the support he pledged makes a real difference to the lives of the athletes who play this game – thank you.”
Susan Whelan, Senior Executive Vice President of King Power International and CEO of Leicester City said: “We are thrilled that the memory of Khun Vichai will be commemorated in this way and happy that we are able to support this fantastic tournament again in Leicester.”
2019 will mark the second year of the King Power Wheelchair Rugby Quad Nations tournament, and once again will see the top wheelchair rugby teams return from around the globe to be crowned Quad Nations Champions.
The 2019 Vichai Trophy will be contested by World Champions Japan, Great Britain, Canada and France. Players were announced earlier this month and includes a squad of 10 athletes from around the UK including three members of the Leicester Tigers Wheelchair Rugby squad; Gavin Walker, Jamie Stead and Leicester University student, Nick Cummins.
The three-day tournament marks an important performance opportunity for Great Britain ahead of the 2019 European Championships in Denmark where they will be defending their title, and ahead of the World Wheelchair Rugby Challenge which will be played alongside the Rugby World Cup in Tokyo in October and involve the top eight teams in the world.
Fast paced and violent, players compete in specially-designed, manual wheelchairs and must meet a minimum disability criterion, classifiable under the sport classification rules. All competing athletes were either born with physical disabilities, or have suffered illness which has affected their mobility,
or else experienced life-changing injuries through accidents, including those serving in the armed forces.
The King Power Wheelchair Rugby Quad Nations tournament will take place 1st – 3rd March 2019 at the Morningside Arena with daytime and evening sessions over three days. Family tickets and concessions for Schools and Students will also be available.
For more details visit www.wrquadnations.com