Catalans Dragons Wheelchair

Catalans Dragons wheelchair teams is thought to be one of the world's oldest wheelchair rugby league football clubs. Like the French Elite 1 Championship itself, it is unclear at exactly what point the club was formed, though they are known to have been in existence during the 2011–12 season^[1] in which they finished runners-up.^[2] Following this, Catalans established themselves as the dominant force in French wheelchair rugby league, winning every national championship with the exception of their 2016–17 Grand Final defeat to Toulouse Olympique.^[3] In 2022, Catalans player Sebastien Bechara won the IRL Golden Boot.^[4] Along with, the French league and cup, the teams also has started to compete in the British Wheelchair Challenge Cup, which they won their inaugural title in 2023^[5] after finishing runners-up the year before.^[6] 2023 saw another Catalans player win the IRL Golden Boot, this time Jérémy Bourson.^[7] Also in 2023, as winners of the previous season's national championship, Catalans qualified for a new competition, the European Club Challenge, in which the French league champions would compete against the British league champions for the de facto European title. The Dragons shared the 2023 title with Halifax Panthers after a 32–32 draw,^[8] before qualifying again the following year and taking the title outright after a 68–28 defeat of Wigan Warriors.^[9] In 2025, their invitation to participate in the Challenge Cup was withdrawn by the Rugby Football League due to a fallout with the French Rugby League Federation over them refusing to play international fixtures between England and France until after the 2026 World Cup.^[10]