DCHP-2

murderball murder ball, murder-ball DCHP-2 (October 2016)

• 1 n. — Sports

  a game where players on two teams attempt to hit each other with balls; dodgeball.

  Type: 3. Semantic Change — This meaning likely emerged as an informal term for dodgeball (see the 1965, 1986 & 1993 quotations) but is now the common name of the game in Canada. Dodgeball apparently originated as a schoolyard game, but now is played by all ages.
  COD-2 (s.v. "murderball") only defines murderball as a synonym for dodgeball, and does not mention wheelchair rugby. OED-3 marks this meaning as "orig. Canad.".

• 2 n. — Sports

  the original name for wheelchair rugby (see Image 1).

  Type: 1. Origin — Murderball was developed in Winnipeg by a group of five Canadian wheelchair athletes who sought to create a game for quadriplegic athletes who had reduced arm and hand function. The game was renamed 'wheelchair rugby' (see the 2005 quotation) and was recognized at the 2000 Sydney Paralympic Games as a full medal sport. Teams are co-ed and each player is assessed and assigned a sport classification based on their ability level, and teams must have a mix of classification values on the court so players compete with teammates with different functional abilities. In teams of four, players aim to carry the ball across the opposing team's goal line (see the second 1981 quotation).
  There is an international foundation (established in 1993) that governs the sport in three zones across the world: the Americas Zone, the Asia-Oceania Zone, and the European Zone. The game's popularity increased after a documentary titled Murderball was released in 2005. In the US, the sport is known as "quad rugby". See also the International Wheelchair Rugby Federation (IWRF) resource.
  OED-3 marks this meaning as "orig. Canad.".