Seoul, KR (September 6, 2025) – The Canadian athletes competing at the Seoul World Boccia Cup have concluded their individual competition. This event and others this year have been preparing athletes for the Americas Regional Championship in the fall, as well as the opportunity to compete at the 2026 World Championships, also happening in Seoul.
Three BC4 athletes competed in the individual competition; Alison Levine, Marco Dispaltro, and Iulian Ciobanu (all from Montreal, QC) were in pools with fierce competition. All but one of the BC4 athletes attending this competition are ranked in the top 30 in the world’s rankings.
Levine narrowly missed her opportunity to advance to the semi-finals as the top three in her pool won two games each, but she defeated the number 1-ranked athlete in the world, Yuen Cheung from Hong Kong. Dispaltro missed out on the semi-finals, losing three tough matches against his competitors. His pool included the number 1-ranked men’s BC4 athlete in the world, Stephen McGuire from Great Britain.
Ciobanu was the sole Canadian to advance to the semi-finals, placing second in his pool. However, he unfortunately lost the match, moving to the bronze medal game against McGuire, which promised some exciting boccia. The match went back and forth, with Ciobanu defeating McGuire and winning the bronze medal.
Alison Levine shared some of her wins from the tournament. “It would have been nice to come home with the physical representation of a job well done (the medal), but alas, I know that I still accomplished my goal here. The level of play in Asia is really hard proven by [the fact that] I had the gold and bronze medal winners in my pool. I beat the gold medal winner and number one ranked Athlete in the world from Hong Kong in an extra hand but didn’t make it through to the elimination round because of points differential. There’s no worry here, but I’m still competing at the highest level and remain one of the best. I’m so proud of Iulian also beating world number one to take the bronze medal. We are shaping up to be a forced to be reckoned with here in Pairs.”
Head Coach Cesar Nicolaï acknowledges the challenges the athletes faced. “I am very proud of the three athletes who competed here in Seoul. It is always a challenge for Canadian athletes to come and play in Asia. The level of play at this World Cup was extremely high! Even after all these years of coaching at the highest level, it is truly impressive for me to see boccia of this quality!”
“In 12 matches, we recorded six victories. Alison beat the world number one in individuals and showed that she still belongs among the world’s best. Marco raised his game, notably against Abdul [Razzaq] of Malaysia, where he played an excellent match, but it wasn’t enough to beat the eventual tournament winner,” says Nicolaï.
“For his part, Iulian has developed a very consistent game. He has rediscovered the style of play that brings him success and was able to perform at his best here at this World Cup. He won Canada’s first ever individual medal on Asian soil and returned to the World Cup podium for the first time since 2023,” continues Nicolaï.
“I am very proud of our Canadian players. Now it’s time for the pairs competition,” he concludes.
The BC4 pairs competition starts on Saturday, September 6 in the morning (Eastern time) and runs through the remainder of the weekend.
The full schedule and complete results are available here and matches will be streamed on the event’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. CCPSA leads, develops and grows 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. For more information on boccia, visit www.bocciacanada.ca.
Media Contact
Zoe Meil-Charbonneau
Interim Program Coordinator
zmeil@ccpsa.ca