Boccia Canada Unveils 2020 National Boccia Training Squad
Ottawa, ON (January 20, 2020) – A mix of Paralympic medal hopefuls and next generation athletes make up the 2020 National Boccia Training Squad.
Many athletes from 2019 will be returning this year, including Tokyo medal contenders Alison Levine, Iulian Ciobanu and Marco Dispaltro in the BC4 category.
Also returning are Éric Bussière, Joëlle Guérette, Marylou Martineau, and Philippe Lord in the BC3 classification who finished in the top four in their category at the 2019 Canadian Boccia Championships.
BC2 athlete Danik Allard leads the next generation squad. Allard is coming off a breakout year in 2019, where he placed fourth at the Montreal World Open and won bronze at the Regional Championships in Sao Paulo. The 2019 Canadian Champion Mike Mercer and Boccia Blast silver medallist Hayley Redmond round out the BC2 category.
In the BC1 class, fellow medalists Lance Cryderman and Éric Lefebvre join veteran Hanif Mawji, who is fresh off a gold medal at the 2019 Canadian Boccia Championships.
“This group of fourteen athletes have proven to be the ones with the best results at national events and have the skill set to perform at the highest level” according to Head Coach Mario Delisle.
Delisle is joined by BC4 Coach César Nicolai, BC3 Coach Simon Larouche, and BC1/2 Coach Ed Richardson.
The team will start the year competing at the Laval Boccia World Open from April 23-30.
2020 NATIONAL BOCCIA TRAINING SQUAD
*Actively assists athlete during competition on the field of play (BC1 and BC3 only)
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. For more information on boccia, visit www.bocciacanada.ca.
