Canada Concludes 2026 World Boccia Championships in Seoul
SEOUL, South Korea – Canada wrapped up competition at the 2026 World Boccia Championships in Seoul, with Alison Levine, Iulian Ciobanu and Lance Cryderman representing the country across the individual and pairs competitions.
All three Canadians earned wins during individual pool play and advanced to the knockout rounds.
In BC1, Cryderman faced Thailand’s Witsanu Huadpradit, who controlled the match on his way to a 6–0 victory. In BC4, both Canadian matches came down to narrow margins. Ciobanu held a 3–1 lead against Germany’s Boris Nicolai before falling 4–3, with the fourth end coming down to a measurement of just one millimetre. Levine battled back from a 3–0 deficit against Brazil’s Laissa Guerreiro to tie the match before ultimately falling 4–3.
Levine finished ninth after entering the World Championships ranked 10th, while Ciobanu also improved on his pre-tournament ranking.
Levine and Ciobanu then joined forces in BC4 pairs, opening with a 6–3 victory over Spain before a narrow 5–4 loss to Hungary. They closed out pool play with a huge win over Colombia, the world No. 4-ranked team and Paris 2024 Paralympic gold medallists. The victory secured Canada’s place in the quarterfinals. Canada advanced to the quarterfinals, where Hong Kong earned a 10–3 victory to bring the Canadians’ tournament to an end.
Canada finished seventh overall in BC4 pairs, matching its pre-tournament world ranking and securing an important top-eight result on the road toward qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games.
“I’m proud of how Alison, Iulian and Lance competed throughout these World Championships,” said César Nicolai, Head Coach of Boccia Canada. “We had some very close matches and showed that we can compete at this level. We know where we can improve, and finishing in the top eight in pairs keeps us where we want to be as we continue working toward LA 2028.”
Canada leaves Seoul with valuable experience against the world’s top boccia athletes and a clear benchmark as the program continues its preparations toward LA 2028.