Canada Wraps Up Individual Competition at 2025 Beijing World Boccia Cup
Team Canada’s Marco Dispaltro focuses on the court as Hong Kong’s Yuk Wing Leung prepares to throw during individual competition at the Beijing 2025 World Boccia Cup.
Ottawa, ON (June 11, 2025) Canadian boccia athletes are competing at the Beijing World Boccia Cup as they push towards this fall’s upcoming Americas Regional Championship and the opportunity to qualify for the 2026 World Championships in South Korea.
Four Canadians were in action during individual competition at the World Boccia Cup in China, which features mostly athletes ranked within the Top 30 of the World Boccia Rankings. Lance Cryderman (Val Caron, ON), Kristyn Collins (St John’s, NL,) Danik Allard (Bois-Des-Fillon, QC) and Marco Dispaltro (Montreal, QC) all battled hard against top talent from across the globe.
Playing in his first international competition of the year, Dispaltro just missed out on a spot in the semifinals in the BC4 Male Division, finishing third in an incredibly strong pool. Though he had hoped to advance, the experienced athlete was happy to get back out on court and continues to find ways to adapt to the unique challenges of being a high-performance athlete with a degenerative condition.
“I’m still pushing some of the world’s top-ranked players, and I know I belong out here. I’m continuing to work and am finding ways to replace what I’ve lost in power with strategy, precision and experience.”
While Dispaltro’s tournament has ended, the trio of Allard, Collins, and Cryderman have more games to play in the mixed BC1/BC2 Team event. All three athletes had to work through challenging matches and results in individual competition but will now focus on regrouping and coming together to compete well as a united team.
“I’m looking forward to team play now. It’s important to remember that this is all part of the process. We are learning and growing as players,” said Cryderman.
“We love playing as a team together, and I know the three of us will pick each other, no matter what happens on court.”
The BC1/BC2 Mixed team event starts on Thursday, June and runs through Saturday, June 14.
The full schedule and complete results are available here and matches on Court 5 will be streamed on World Boccia’s YouTube channel accessible here.
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 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
Nathan Bragg
Communications and Content Consultant
Email: [email protected]
Phone Number: 604-715-7298