Welsh squad humbled with Paralympic visit

Ellis Shipp, Callum Bradbury, Will Griffiths, Ryan Conbeer, Connor Edwards, Joe Goodchild, Phil Jones and Will Talbot-Davies met athletes as the Georgian Rugby Union signed the Paralympic charter.
 
It was a humbling experience for the young players, who were licking their wounds following the 29-25 loss to their Celtic rivals.
 
The players were greeted by numerous Georgian paralympians and took part in both wheelchair basketball and table tennis in front of the watching mass media.
 
Dragons back Goodchild was taken aback by the positivity of the paralympians and admits the experience puts life into perspective.
 
He said: “it was great to come down to the paralympic centre to meet the committee and some of the people here.
 
“The boys got into a bit of wheelchair basketball and ping-pong but we didn’t really have a chance – the lady we played table-tennis with slammed us all!
 
“These guys are so talented. You don’t really realise how difficult it is until you put yourself in that position where you can’t use your legs. It’s mad really.
 
“It’s been an eye-opener for us but it is so nice to see how happy these guys are and how much hope they have, it puts things in perspective.
 
“It was a really good afternoon. It’s always nice for the boys to get out of the hotel, especially after the loss to Scotland.”
 
Georgia Sports Minister Tariel Khechikashvili, Georgia’s Paralympic Committee President Shalva Maisuradze and Paralympic fencing world champion Irma Khetsuriani were among those in attendance in Tbilisi.
 
Georgia Paralympic Committee Member Tinatin Revazishvili has been a major driving force behind the movement in the Caucasus country and she was delighted that Wales’ supported the historic event.
 
She said: “Today we are celebrating the rights of people with disabilities in Georgia and Wales visiting is very important to us.
 
“From 2013, we started to develop wheelchair rugby and this is a great beginning for us. We have signed a memorandum with Georgia rugby to start developing wheelchair rugby with them.
 
“Nobody knows what will happen tomorrow, or even at the end of this day. I was 28-years-old when I had a car crash and since that day I have been a wheelchair user.
 
“During that initial period I started to discover people in wheelchairs are staying at home because in Georgia we don’t have accessible streets, buildings, schools or kindergartens.
 
“I started to fight for my rights because behind me are so many people who are staying at home. It is our right to have the choice to discover sport or tourism.
 
“I have talked to many rugby players and nobody knows what happens when you play, maybe you get a scrum that is the same as a car crash?
 
“You have to continue your life and you can continue as a sportsman playing wheelchair rugby. It is very good that the Georgian Rugby Federation are now committing to the development.”