The Board of Directors of the International Wheelchair Rugby Federation, on the advice of the IWRF Competitions Committee, has selected Seoul, Korea, to be the host of the 2011 IWRF Asia-Oceania Zone Championship. Seoul was selected over competing bids from Sydney, Australia, and Beijing, China. This will be the first international wheelchair rugby tournament hosted in Korea, and the first Zone Championships in Asia since the 2003 edition in Chiba, Japan.

"I would like to congratulate Korea on being awarded the 2011 Zone Championships," said Ken Sowden, President of the Asia-Oceania Zone of the IWRF. "Their commitment to developing the game and their strong regional competitions have ensured the growth of wheelchair rugby in Korea. This commitment has been recognized with the award of this event to Korea. I would like to also thank Australia and China for submitting bids to host this event. I look forward to working with Korea so that our 2011 Championships can be the best Zone event ever held."

IWRF holds Zone Championships every two years in three international zones: the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Oceania. The Asia-Oceania Zone, which also includes Africa, currently has six countries active in international competition: Australia, China, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, and South Africa. All six will be invited to participate in the 2011 Championships. The previous Asia-Oceania Championships, held in 2009 in Christchurch, New Zealand, was won by Australia, currently ranked second on the IWRF World Ranking List. The 2011 host Korea has been developing wheelchair rugby domestically since 2004 and has been active internationally since 2007. Korea is currently ranked 18th in the world.

About the IWRF: As the international governing body for the sport of wheelchair rugby, the IWRF inspires and supports individuals throughout the world to participate in wheelchair rugby. For more information, visit www.iwrf.com or contact Eron Main, IWRF Secretary General, at eron@iwrf.com.