2023 Canadian Boccia Championships Start Thursday at Richmond Oval
Thirty-three athletes will be in Richmond for the 2023 Canadian Boccia Championships, including British Columbia athlete, Lisa Ferenc
Ottawa, ON (October 24, 2023) – The 29th Canadian Boccia Championships are being hosted in Richmond, BC from October 26 to October 29th at the Richmond Olympic Oval. The individual competition officially begins on October 26th. This marks the first time the Championships are being held in Richmond, but not the first for British Columbia, which has a rich history of hosting this event, most recently in 2016 and 2019.
The annual event brings together many of Canada’s most skilled boccia players to compete for the title of Canadian Champion in Team, Pairs, and Individual play. It is sanctioned by Boccia Canada and counts for national ranking points. The individual event includes athletes in six different classifications based on their functional ability. Following the individual events, there will also be team and pairs competitions.
The Championships are guaranteed to showcase outstanding performances, upsets, ingenious game strategy and emotion. Athletes will travel from across Canada to compete, including Alberta, Ontario, Québec, Newfoundland and Labrador, and British Columbia.
Ahead of the upcoming Santiago Parapan American Games, a qualifier for the 2024 Paralympic Summer Games in Paris, Canadian Parapan Am team members competing at the Championships include Danik Allard, Joëlle Guérette, Kristyn Collins, Lance Cryderman, Lois Martin, and Ryan Rondeau.
Live webcast will be available, with commentary included during the playoffs on Saturday, October 28 and Sunday, October 29. The webcast feed will play on Richmond TV while CBC will share the stream via their platforms as well. The link(s) for the webcast will be shared via Boccia Canada’s webpage here and on Richmond Oval TV here.
What:
2023 Canadian Boccia Championships
When:
Thursday, October 26
9:00 – 17:30 PST: Individual Competition
Friday, October 27
9:00 – 17:30 PST: Individual Competition
Saturday, October 28
9:00 – 12:30 PST: Individual Competition
12:30 – 13:30 PST: Medal Ceremony for Individual Competition
14:30 – 16:30 PST: Mixed Pairs, BC3 Pairs, and Team Competition
Sunday, October 29
9:00 – 15:00 PST: Mixed Pairs, BC3 Pairs, and Team Competition
15:00 – 16:00 PST: Medal Ceremony for Mixed Pairs, BC3 Pairs, and Team
For a more detailed schedule, click here.
The full game schedule and results will be found here after classification on Wednesday, October 26.
NOTE: Schedule subject to change
Where:
Richmond Olympic Oval
6111 River Rd.
Richmond, BC
V7C 0A2
Who:
Thirty-three athletes are participating in the 2023 Canadian Boccia Championships with five provinces represented. Among the participants are current and former National Boccia Team members. Current top-ranked provincial players will be competing as well including:
BC1
Chris Halpen (Victoria, BC)
Dorya Belal (Brossard, QC)
Hanif Mawji (Burnaby, BC)
Justine Bureau (Québec City, QC)
Kyle Scott (Hamilton, ON)
Lance Cryderman* (Sudbury, ON)
Lois Martin* (St. John’s, NL)
Luke Cambridge (Victoria, BC)
Stephen Westcott (Conception Bay South, NL)
BC2
Danik Allard* (Bois-des-Filion, QC)
Dave Richer*** (Montréal, QC)
Dominic Gomez (Whitby, ON)
James Davis (Thorold, ON)
Kristyn Collins* (St. John’s, NL)
Lisa Ferenc (North Vancouver, BC)
Maggie Julien (Sudbury, ON)
Nathan Bragg (Vancouver, BC)
Olivier Dussault (Québec City, QC)
Olivier Roy (Québec City, QC)
BC3
Alexandre Lemaire (Kingsey Falls, QC); Ass’t: Francis Lemaire
Alexandre Raymond*** (Sorel-Tracy, QC); Ass’t: Isabelle Blette
Carter Plumb (Brampton, ON); Ass’t: Jennifer Knight
Joëlle Guérette* (Sainte-Sophie, QC); Ass’t: Jonathan Manseau
Joshua Gautier (Niagara Falls, ON); Ass’t: Joyce Gautier
Marylou Martineau* (Québec City, QC); Ass’t: Josée Duquette
Nico Iemma (Oshawa, ON); Ass’t: Patrick Iemma
Ryan Rondeau* (Edmonton, AB); Ass’t: Samantha Leger
BC4
Giovanni De Sero (Guelph, ON)
BC5
Marc-Antoine Goupil (Honfleur, QC)
Open
Daniel Hutchison*** (Victoria, BC)
Kylie Waters (Victoria, BC)
Wendy Wilkins*** (Victoria, BC)
Zosia Ettenberg (Langley, BC)
Note: The * indicates that the person is a current member of the National Boccia Team. The *** indicates that the person is a wild card athlete.
Interview Availability
- Peter Leyser, Executive Director, Boccia Canada
- Ross Macdonald, Executive Director, SportAbility BC and Host Organizing Committee Member
- Participating boccia athlete from your region and/or participating Santiago Parapan American Games athlete (contact Holly Janna, Communications Lead and National Team Coordinator, Boccia Canada)
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. We lead, develop and grow boccia from grassroots to producing World Champions, and we collaborate with partners to increase participation of Canadians with physical disabilities in sport.
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 six sport classes based on their level and type of disability: BC1, BC2, BC3 BC4, BC5, and Open.
Media Contact
Holly Janna
Communications Lead and National Team Coordinator, Boccia Canada
Email: [email protected]
Phone Number: 613-748-1430 x3 | Cell: 514-944-5193