Arabic version: سائحة أيرلندية توصل كرسياً متحركاً للاعب في كأس العالم

According to ABC News, Irish tourist Deirdre Donoghue delivered a specialist replacement wheelchair to Ireland wheelchair rugby league player Oran Spain at Sydney International Airport, hours before his World Cup game against Wales.

Spain, 20, broke his wheelchair during training in Wollongong last week, where the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup is being staged. The only other chair tailored for him was at home in Ireland. His family sought help after deciding not to use the damaged chair in a game because a weld might not hold under impact.

Spain’s uncle, Austin Smith, made a call-out on RTE radio for somebody travelling to Sydney who could transport the chair. Donoghue heard the request while preparing to visit a friend in Australia and contacted the station. She said the wheelchair was transferred across her connecting flights.

The replacement chair is designed specifically for Spain, who is smaller than his teammates. Rugby league wheelchairs are tailored to athletes and built for the sport’s speed and contact, with angled wheels and rounded front bars. Spain said the chair gave him the opportunity to play after four years of working towards World Cup selection.

Spain missed Ireland’s opening World Cup match against the USA last Friday, which Ireland won 110-10. With the replacement chair in Wollongong, he warmed up with his teammates ahead of the Wales game. The Spain family gave Donoghue match tickets, an official team polo shirt, a hat and a pennant, and she said she would travel to Wollongong to watch Ireland play.