2018 NATIONAL BOCCIA TRAINING SQUAD AND MONTREAL WORLD OPEN TEAM ANNOUNCED

(Ottawa, ON) March 14, 2018 – Boccia Canada is pleased to announce the 14 athletes named to the 2018 National Boccia Training Squad plus the team that will compete at the first World Open of the season in Montreal.

Boccia Canada has shifted the timing of the National Boccia Training Squad selection to better align with the Boccia International Sports Federation (BISFed) calendar. During the transition, the 2017/18 team is being extended until December 31, 2018, with the exception of Brock Richardson and Paul Gauthier, who stepped down from the Squad due to retirement and injury respectively. Athletes are selected from the National Boccia Training Squad to compete at international events through the year.

The primary focus this year for the Squad is the World Championships being held in Liverpool, United Kingdom this August, but athletes are already beginning to set their sights on the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.

“Many of the best athletes in the world will be in Montreal this year for the Montreal World Open and it will be a great occasion for our Canadian to show off their skills.” Comments Head Coach Mario Delisle on the teams first competition of the year. “Athletes in all classes from the National Squad were chosen for that event and we are looking for a solid performance from this group despite the quality of the field. The experience to benefit from is huge and we will have to maximize the learnings.”

The following athletes have been named to the National Boccia Training Squad:

BC1
Hanif Mawji (Burnaby, BC)
Josée Lamothe (Trois-Rivières, QC)
Éric Lefebvre (Montreal, QC)

BC2
Adam Dukovich (London, ON)
Benoit Ostiguy (Montreal, QC)
Tammy McLeod (London, ON)
Mike Mercer (St. John’s, NL)

BC3
Eric Bussière (Montreal, QC)
Bruno Garneau (Montreal, QC)
Philippe Lord (Montreal, QC)
Marylou Martineau (Quebec, QC)

BC4
Marco Dispaltro (St-Jerome, QC)
Alison Levine (Cote Saint Luc, QC)
Iulian Ciobanu (Montreal, QC)

The following athletes have been named to the team for the Montreal World Open:

BC1
Hanif Mawji
Eric Lefebvre

BC2
Mike Mercer
Benoit Ostiguy

BC3
Eric Bussiere
Philippe Lord
Bruno Garneau

BC4
Alison Levine
Marco Dispaltro
Iulian Ciobanu

About Boccia Canada

Boccia Canada is the boccia delivery arm of the Canadian Cerebral Palsy Sports Association (CCPSA), the National Sport Organization for the Paralympic sport of boccia. Boccia Canada is focused on providing athletes and individuals of all ages and skill with the chance to play a unique Paralympic sport. CCPSA collaborates with partners to increase the participation of Canadians with cerebral palsy and related disabilities in sport and physical activity, while leading, developing and growing boccia from grassroots, to producing World and Paralympic Champions.

About Boccia

Boccia is a Paralympic sport of precision and strategy similar to lawn bowling or curling, played by athletes with Cerebral Palsy, Muscular Dystrophy and related disabilities. It is one of only two Paralympic sports that do not have an Olympic counterpart. Athletes compete in one of four sport classes based on their level and type of disability: BC1, BC2, BC3 and BC4. For more information on boccia, visit www.bocciacanada.ca.