Five Canadian Boccia Athletes Competing at the Cali World Boccia Challenger, Including Ontario Rookie, Kyle Scott
Ottawa, ON (October 3, 2024) – Five athletes are setting their sights on the World Boccia Challenger in Cali, Colombia including BC1 Ontarian Kyle Scott (Hamilton, ON) who will be making his debut on the international boccia scene. Joining him is Alex Lemaire (Kingsey Falls, QC), Kristyn Collins (St. John’s, NL), Marylou Martineau (Québec City, QC), and Olivier Roy (Québec City, QC) who are all members of the 2024 National Boccia Team. Following the excitement of the Paris Paralympic Games, these athletes will be hungry for a medal, show their skills, and continue to develop and work towards podium performances on the international scene.
Leading the athletes are Head Coach, César Nicolai, and Assistant and Espoir Coach, Simon Larouche who explains that “the aim of this competition is to give a competitive opportunity to a young boccia group so that they can develop their talents and learn to manage the challenges that come with this type of competition. In the case of Kyle, it will be the first time we will work closely with him at a world event and we look forward to seeing what can be accomplished!”
“It’s an honour to be selected as a rising star and to be on Team Canada in Cali,” stated Scott. “The opportunity to compete against top athletes from around the world and team up with Kristyn and Olivier is extremely exciting to me. As I embark on my first international tournament in Cali, I’m looking forward to a memorable experience as I don the maple leaf, show my boccia skills, and happily represent my country.”
This competition will feature individual, Pair and Team play. Collins, Scott, and Roy will join forces as a Team BC1/BC2, with Scott being the sole BC1 athlete partaking in the individual men’s BC1 event while Collins and Roy will play in their women’s and men’s BC2 division respectively. Lemaire and Martineau will compete for the second time ever as an international BC3 Pair at this competition, alongside their dad (Lemaire) and mom (Martineau) as ramp operators. They also compete in BC3 individual men’s and women’s divisions respectively. The BC1 and BC2s will compete from October 6 to 9 while the BC3 and BC4 Pairs event rounds out the tournament from October 9 to 12. There are no Canadian BC4 athletes attending this competition.
The competition is a sanctioned, World Boccia event where athletes will be looking to improve their international rank, or in Scott’s case, make a first impression on the scene.
Follow all the action on the Boccia Canada Facebook page here, Twitter page here, Instagram here, and Tik Tok here. The schedule and results will be shared on Facebook the day before competition (October 5), once classification is complete.
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