Sweden and Belgium win on Day 1 of Wheelchair Rugby Euros

All 12 participating teams in the International Wheelchair Rugby Federation (IWRF) European Championships in Nottwil, Switzerland, have now completed their first set of games.

In the first round of group games, tournament favourites and Europe’s top- ranked team, Sweden, beat the Netherlands, 64-44. Defending champions Belgium defeated Finland, 63-53, and Denmark won a thriller over Austria, 45-44.

In Pool B, host nation Switzerland beat Ireland, 49-32, as Poland beat Germany, 48-44. In the final contest, France defeated Great Britain, 57-46.

Group games continue on Tuesday with the following matches: Sweden-Austria, France-Poland, Netherlands-Belgium, Ireland-Germany, Denmark-Finland, Great Britain-Switzerland.

Medal-round games will commence on Saturday (8 October) and conclude on Sunday (9 October). Three qualification spots for the London 2012 Paralympic Games are up for grabs for the medal winners, excluding Great Britain, which has automatically qualified for next year as the host nation.