World top Powerchair Hockey comes to Roeselare for the Flanders Cup

It is already the sixth edition of the biennial Powerchair Hockey tournament organized by GIDOS, Dominiek Savio’s G sports club. This year the national teams of world champions Denmark and Canada and the national champion from Finland will be participating. In addition, a Dutch mixed team with former internationals from the sport will also return from their sporting retirement to beat the current champion. GIDOS’ own team also participates.

The tournament has become a fixture in the sports community and is highly sought after by participants. Former player Bryan Vantornhout founded the tournament in 2014 with the desire to make this sport known to the general public and to bring the top level to Belgium. After Bryan’s death in 2020, the organization was taken over by a committee within GIDOS.

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What is Powerchair Hockey?

The sport is still relatively unknown to the general public, Powerchair Hockey is a team sport for players who need an electric wheelchair to play sports. Two teams with 5 players each try to score most often with a small, white hole ball in a goal barely 20 cm high. Because not all players have the same amount of strength, they try to use their electric sports wheelchair as strategically as possible to hinder others or to find their own way to the goal.

Players with sufficient power try to score with a floorball stick or take the ball away. Others play with a stick attached to their wheelchair, a T-stick, and block the opponent. The goalkeeper also has a T-stick. Apart from wheelchair football, this is the only team sport that you can practice in an electric wheelchair. For players, the sport is a huge outlet.