Werribee’s Bradd Smith had the honour of representing Australia on the international stage at the inaugural world wheelchair handball championships in Brazil. Smith, 34, now wants Wyndham to open its arms to the world by hosting the 2015 tournament.
A nomination has been put forward to hold the next world titles at the Wyndham Sports and Fitness Centre in two years’ time.
“We’re hopeful of hosting it in Werribee,” Smith told the Weekly. “We’ve already put in a nomination and we’re just waiting to hear back from the world governing body. It’ll be good for our area.”
Smith, who suffers from muscular dystrophy, had an interrupted campaign in Brazil after suffering a finger injury. But the Werribee Wheelers star did get the chance to be part of history as one of the players to feature in the Australian team’s one and only win.
Winning was not all that mattered for Smith and his team. “We only won one game, but we had fun through it all,” he said. “It’s all about the team camaraderie.”
Smith likes the free-flowing nature of the new sport. Asked what position he plays on the court, he says: “It’s a free for all”.
Two other players from Wyndham, Will Taylor and Ryan Slattery, were also part of the team and they’ve banded together in a bid to start a local competition in Werribee.
“Hopefully, by the new year we can get a competition going.”
