IT’S little surprise the game was originally called “murderball.”
And for the millions of Paralympics fans around the world, today is a good day – it’s the start of the wheelchair rugby tournament.
The 12,000 capacity arena that will host the sport in Rio is completely sold out for every game.
The physical nature of wheelchair rugby sees opposing players crash into each other, unsurprisingly the noise of metal on metal gets the crowd on their feet.
Direct physical contact between the chairs is part and parcel of the gender-mixed game.
However physical contact between the players, or ‘tackles’ deemed dangerous (an example being from behind) is not permitted.
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Eight teams will be competing for medals. Australia are the Paralympic champions after securing gold at the London 2012 Games.
Team GB will be looking to improve on their fifth-place finish at their home games.
Speaking to The Guardian, Team GB's Aaron Phipps said: "I think people genuinely want to come and watch us smash each other out of our wheelchairs. It's like PC gone completely right."
And team-mate Kylie Grimes added: "I don't think spectators would think that people with disabilities would be chucking themselves at each other.
"I get asked: 'You've injured yourself once, why would you want to do it again?' But this sport is so fun, it's so fast, it's so aggressive.
"When people come they're generally shocked that we're smashing each other apart, basically."
All teams have 12-player squads, with only four allowed on the basketball-sized court, at any one time.
The aim is for players to carry the ball over a designated line for a goal. Each match lasts for 32 minutes, split into four quarters.
Players have 10 seconds to bounce or pass the ball to a team-mate.
Team GB have a tough ask in their opener - they take on Paralympic champions Australia in Pool A, before meeting hosts Brazil and Canada in their next games.
Wheelchair rugby was originally thought-up in Canada, and was coined 'murderball,' such was the intensity of the matches.
A 2005 film, that was Oscar-nominated, was titled as such, and previewed the US and Canadian squads ahead of the Athens Games.
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