Canada’s Boccia Pairs Qualify for Tokyo
Povoa, Portugal (November 3, 2019) – Canada’s BC4 pairs punched their ticket to Tokyo this weekend by winning gold at the 2019 Povoa World Open.
Canada entered the competition ranked tenth, technically holding the final Paralympic qualification slot. With eight of the top ten countries in attendance, they needed a strong finish to stay in the mix for Tokyo.
The Canadian pair of Alison Levine (Montréal, QC), Marco Dispaltro (Saint-Jérôme, QC), and Iulian Ciobanu (Montréal, QC) did not disappoint. First they marked wins against Great Britain, Russia and Croatia to place second in their pool. Then they played surprise qualifier Ukraine in the semi-final, winning 8-4 to advance to the gold medal game against Slovakia, the number one ranked pair in the world.
Although Slovakia took an early 1-0 lead, Canada responded with three unanswered points to lead 3-1 going into the final end. They held Slovakia to just one point in the final frame and won the gold 3-2. It was sweet redemption for the pair after they missed out on direct qualification a month ago at the 2019 America Regional Championships in Sao Paulo.
For Levine, it was an incredible feeling. “We’ve been waiting for this kind of performance for a while and it could not have come at a better time. It’s a double win for us because it was our last chance to qualify for Tokyo and we accomplished it by winning the gold medal.”
Canada will be moving up in rank after the win against number one pair, Slovakia.
“The best teams were here this week and we came out with the gold,” explained BC4 Coach César Nicolai. “It proves that we can perform despite adversity and that we will be a team to watch in Tokyo. There is still a lot of work to be done, but we will be ready for the challenge.”
Dispaltro and Ciobanu did not advance in the individual competition.
Meanwhile the BC3 pair will not qualify after Portugal steals the tenth position.
Final Results
| BC4 Individual | BC4 Pair |
|---|---|
| Iulian Ciobanu 7 – 4 Matjaz Bartol (SLO) | CAN 5 – 4 GBR |
| Marco Dispaltro 4 – 5 Niko Vasili (GRE) | CAN 4 – 8 SVK |
| Iulian Ciobanu 4 -4 Andrii Okulov (UKR) | CAN 4 – 1 CRO |
| Marco Dispaltro 1 – Carla Oliveira (POR) | CAN 7 – 2 RUS |
| Iulian Ciobanu 0 – 7 Samuel Andrejcik (SVK) | Semi-final: CAN 8 – 4 UKR |
| Marco Dispaltro 1 – 5 Stephen McGuire (GBR) | Final: CAN 3 – 2 SVK |
For full updates to the rankings and scheduled timelines visit https://www.bisfed.com.
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 six sport classes based on their level and type of disability: BC1, BC2, BC3 BC4, BC5, and Open.
Media Contact
Holly Janna
Communications and National Team Coordinator, Boccia Canada
Email: [email protected]
Phone Number: 613-748-1430 x3 | Cell: 514-944-5193