- 12 athletes set to represent Canada in Paris, including nine returnees from
Tokyo 2020
-
Paris 2024 Paralympic Games takes
place August 28 to September
8
OTTAWA,
ON, July 22, 2024 /CNW/ - Twelve athletes have
been nominated to the women's sitting volleyball team set to
represent Canada at the
Paris 2024 Paralympic Games this
summer, the Canadian Paralympic Committee and Volleyball Canada
announced Monday.
Paris 2024 Canadian
Paralympic Team – SITTING VOLLEYBALL
- Angelena Dolezar –
St. Albert, AB
- Danielle Ellis –
White Rock, BC
- Anne Fergusson –
Carleton Place, ON
- Julie Kozun – Melfort, SK
- Allison Lang – Edmonton, AB
- Jennifer McCreesh –
Smithers, BC
- Sarah Melenka –
Vegreville, AB
- Jennifer Oakes –
Calgary, AB
- Heidi Peters – Neerlandia, AB
- Felicia Voss-Shafiq –
Burnaby, BC
- Jolan Wong – Vermilion, AB
- Katelyn Wright – Edmonton, AB
The squad features nine returning members from Tokyo 2020, where Canada secured fourth place, its best ever
Paralympic finish. Seven players will be making their third
Paralympic appearances – Angelena
Dolezar, team captain Danielle
Ellis, Jennifer Oakes,
Heidi Peters, Felicia Voss-Shafiq, Jolan Wong, and Katelyn
Wright.
"Ten-year-old me never would have guessed that I would be named
to my third Paralympic roster and today me is so proud of the hard
work and dedication that has made this dream come true," said
Ellis. "This team has worked so hard over this shortened quad to
get to where we are. And now, we're ready to fight to the last
breath for a place on the podium at the Paris 2024 Paralympics in front of our family,
friends, and fans in the stands. I think that may be what I'm
looking forward to most. After Tokyo, I'm so ready to compete on the world
stage in front of an electrifying Paris crowd, and I know the Canadian fan base
is going to be huge!"
Anne Fergusson and Julie Kozun will be at their second Games, while
Allison Lang, Jennifer McCreesh, and Sarah Melenka will make their debuts.
"Looking back 10 years ago to laying in a hospital bed,
becoming a Paralympian never even crossed my mind, let alone the
thought of having it become a reality," said Melenka. "Now having
the opportunity to represent my country on the biggest stage is
truly a dream come true. We've battled extremely hard as a team
over this last quad. We've reached new heights, but also fallen
from those heights on occasion. We haven't let those downfalls
define us as a team and are carrying a lot of confidence leading
into the Games.
"I can't wait to wear the maple leaf proudly in my Paralympic
debut and represent our country in front of my family, friends, and
passionate fans. I look forward to accomplishing the goal my team
and I had set at the start of the quad. Let's bring home some
Paralympic hardware!"
Just over a year after the Tokyo Games, Canada earned a historic silver medal at the
2022 world championships – its first podium at the worlds. Eleven
members of that team will be in Paris.
The team qualified for the 2024 Games after advancing into the
semifinals at the 2023 World ParaVolley Sitting Volleyball World
Cup in Egypt, the highest finisher
not yet with a Paris spot.
Paris 2024 will be the third
consecutive Games in which Canada's women's team competes. Sitting
volleyball joined the Paralympic program in 1980 for the men and
2004 for the women. Canada first
qualified in the sport in 2016, where the women's team finished
seventh. The Canadian men have not yet qualified for the Paralympic
Games.
Most recently, Canada captured
gold earlier this month at the Dutch Tournament in Assen,
Netherlands. Defeating rivals
Brazil in the final in five sets,
it was an improvement over their fifth place at the Super Six
tournament a month earlier in France.
"We are excited to announce our roster for the Paris 2024 Paralympics," said head coach
Nicole Ban. "We cannot wait for the
three first-time Paralympic athletes named to this roster to have
the title of Paralympian. The ability to compete on the biggest
stage, representing Canada, while
showing the world what is possible is something this team embraces
and looks forward to doing to the best of their abilities.
"We will be leaning on the experience of most of our group, who
will be heading to their third Paralympics and are motivated to
improve our previous performances. Knowing that the most difficult
challenges are yet to come, we look forward to embracing the
difficulty and competing at what is sure to be an incredible
Paralympic Games in Paris."
Sitting volleyball competition will take place August 29 till September
7 at North Paris Arena. Canada will face off in three preliminary
matches – versus Slovenia on
August 29, Brazil on August
31, and Rwanda on
September 2. The semifinals are
September 5 with the medal matches on
September 7.
"I am so thrilled to welcome all 12 women's sitting volleyball
players to the Canadian Paralympic Team," said Karolina Wisniewska, co-chef de mission,
Paris 2024 Canadian Paralympic
Team. "This is an incredible, talented, and dedicated group of
athletes who have done so much to advance their sport and to put
their team in a position to be a top contender in Paris. We wish them the best of luck in
Paris and will be there to support
them through the entire journey."
"A huge congratulations to the 12 athletes nominated to the
women's sitting volleyball team for Paris," said Josh Vander Vies, co-chef de
mission, Paris 2024 Canadian
Paralympic Team. "It has been so impressive to see this team's rise
on the international stage over the past several years, and
Paris will be the exciting next
chapter. I'm really looking forward to cheering them on at the
Games."
The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games
will take place August 28 to September
8 in Paris, France.
Canada is expecting to send a team
of approximately 130 athletes.
Prior to being officially named to the Canadian Paralympic Team,
all nominations are subject to approval by the Canadian Paralympic
Committee. The current list of nominated athletes can be found
HERE. The approved final roster will be announced closer to the
start of the Games.
About the Canadian Paralympic
Committee: Paralympic.ca
About Volleyball Canada: Volleyball.ca
SOURCE Canadian Paralympic Committee (Sponsorships)