Bulbul Hussain (; born 3 January 1972) is a British

wheelchair rugby Wheelchair rugby (originally murderball, and known as quad rugby in the United States) is a team sport for Disabled sport, athletes with a disability. It is practiced in over twenty-five countries around the world and is a summer Paralympic spor ...

player who plays for Kent Crusaders and the

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

Paralympic team. He plays mostly in a defensive role.

Early life

Hussain was born in

Sylhet District Sylhet District (), located in north-east Bangladesh, is one of the four districts in Sylhet Division, which contains Sylhet, the regional capital. History Sylhet District was established on 3 January 1782, and until 1878 it was part of Benga ...

Sylhet Division Sylhet Division () is a northeastern Divisions of Bangladesh, division of Bangladesh, renowned for its lush tea gardens, rolling hills and vibrant cultural heritage. Covering an area of approximately 12,298 square kilometres, it is bordered by t ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

. In 1994, a road traffic accident in Bangladesh left him with a spinal cord injury. He has no function in his hands, some restriction to his arm movement and no movement in his lower body. For wheelchair rugby Hussain is classified as a "one pointer" or a 1.0 player.

Career

In 1995, when Hussain first saw wheelchair rugby he was not convinced he would enjoy it, thinking there was too much wheelchair contact. A year later, he gave it a try for fun and to regain fitness, after a few training sessions he was attracted to the sport because of its speed and competitive element, and from then on he decided to commit and dedicate himself to the sport. In 1997, Hussain first started competing in wheelchair rugby during treatment at

Stoke Mandeville Stoke Mandeville is a village and civil parish in the Vale of Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, England. It is located three miles (5 km) from Aylesbury and 3.4 miles (5.5 km) from the market town of Wendover. Although a separate civil ...

. He won a gold medal when he played in his first major tournament at the National Championships in Stoke Mandeville. From 2007 and 2008, Hussain studied at the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme. In 2008, he was part of the Great Britain team that finished fourth in the

Summer Paralympic Games The Summer Paralympics, also known as the Games of the Paralympiad, are an international multi-sport event where athletes with physical disabilities compete. This includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and cerebr ...

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

. Afterward, Hussain considered retiring from the game. In September 2010, he was part of the Great Britain team that finished fifth at the World Wheelchair Rugby Championships in Canada. They won three games and lost four games. In 2011, Great Britain won silver at the European Championships. In May 2012, Hussain was named by The

British Paralympic Association The British Paralympic Association (BPA) is the National Paralympic Committee for ''Great Britain'' (GBR), and is responsible for the United Kingdom's participation in the Paralympic Games The Paralympic Games or Paralympics is a periodi ...

in its 11-strong Paralympics GB wheelchair rugby team. Great Britain finished fifth in the

2012 Summer Paralympic Games The 2012 Summer Paralympics, branded as the London 2012 Paralympic Games, were an international multi-sport parasports event held from 29 August to 9 September 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. They were the 14th Summer Paralympic Game ...

. In October 2015, Hussain was in the BT World Wheelchair Rugby Challenge. In May 2016, he was named by The British Paralympic Association in its 11-strong Paralympics GB wheelchair rugby team. Great Britain finished fifth in the 2016 Summer Paralympics Games. Hussain plays for the Kent Crusaders and plays mostly in a defensive role on court.

Awards

In April 2012, Hussain was awarded the Sports Award at the

Channel S Channel S () is a UK-based, free-to-air television channel targeting the British Bangladeshi community. The channel was established on 16 December 2004 by Mahee Ferdous Jalil, a Bangladeshi businessman in London. On Sky (UK & Ireland), Sky it ...

Awards.

Personal life

Hussain lives in

Whitechapel Whitechapel () is an area in London, England, and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is in east London and part of the East End of London, East End. It is the location of Tower Hamlets Town Hall and therefore the borough tow ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. His sporting inspiration is

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and social activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the gr ...

, whom he describes as the "ultimate competitor". In March 2013, along with a three-year-old orphan, Tonbir, Hussain officially unveiled

Tower Hamlets Council Tower Hamlets London Borough Council, also known as Tower Hamlets Council, is the local authority for the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London. The council has been under ...

's "Catch. Don't Pass" campaign at the Town Hall in

Canary Wharf Canary Wharf is a financial area of London, England, located in the Isle of Dogs in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The Greater London Authority defines it as part of London's central business district, alongside Central London. Alongside ...

Honours

References

External links

* * (wheelchair rugby) * (athletics) * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hussain, Bulbul 1972 births Living people Paralympic wheelchair rugby players for Great Britain Wheelchair rugby players at the 2008 Summer Paralympics Wheelchair rugby players at the 2012 Summer Paralympics Wheelchair rugby players at the 2016 Summer Paralympics People from Sylhet District People from Whitechapel Sportspeople from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets