OTTAWA – (2022 – 06 – 09) – Commonwealth Sport Canada (CSC) and Bowls Canada today announced the athletes who have been selected to represent Team Canada in lawn bowling at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, taking place July 28 to Aug. 8.
Led by six-time Commonwealth Games participant Ryan Bester (Hanover, ON), five female and five male athletes will aim their sights on the podium this summer. The athletes will compete in multiple disciplines of men’s and women’s singles, pairs, triples and fours.
“The Commonwealth Games are the biggest multi-sport event on the lawn bowls competition calendar. We are thrilled to be on our way to the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games with such a strong team of athletes,” says Anna Mees, Chief Executive Officer of Bowls Canada. “We had solid performances in 2018 on the Gold Coast and we are looking to build on that momentum this summer in Birmingham.”
The 10 athletes were selected based on their performance at a multi-day selection event held in May 2022 at the Windsor Lawn Bowling Club. In addition to veterans such as Bester, 2022 marks the Commonwealth Games debut of twenty-two year old Jordan Kos (Regina, SK). Kos, a rising force on the national team since her teens, has been given the nod to play singles as veteran Kelly McKerihen (Toronto, ON) moves to skip the women’s triples and fours.
“It is more than an honour and a privilege to represent Canada at the 2022 Commonwealth Games,” says Kos. “It is a dream come true – especially playing lawn bowls, the game I love, with such a talented team of athletes and supportive coaching staff. I will wear the maple leaf proudly.”
At the 2018 Commonwealth Games, lawn bowls had five top four finishes in addition to a silver medal in men’s singles from Ryan Bester.
“Lawn Bowls Canada has done tremendous work with their high-performance programs, and their results at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games demonstrated that they are on a positive trajectory,” says Scott Stevenson, Executive Director, Team Canada 2022. “We look forward to seeing the 2022 lawn bowls team build upon the 2018 results, including Ryan Bester’s silver medal and numerous fourth place finishes, with more podium results in Birmingham.”
The lawn bowls competition will take place at Victoria Park, Royal Leamington Spa, July 29 – August 6 with a total of 11 events.
Birmingham 2022 will feature 19 sports and 8 para-sports as part of its program with up to 4,500 athletes taking part. The Commonwealth Games are the only multi-sport event that feature equal standing for sport and para-sport events, and these 2022 Games will showcase the largest para-sport program ever. In addition, for the first time in its history, the Games will feature more medal events for women (135) than men (133).
The lawn bowling team which will represent Canada at the Birmingham 2022 includes:
Athletes:
| First | Last | Hometown | Event | Commonwealth Games |
| Leanne | Chinery | Victoria, BC | Triples, Fours | 2006, 2014, 2018 |
| Jackie | Foster | Bridgetown, NS | Pairs, Fours | 2014, 2018 |
| Jordan | Kos | Regina, SK | Singles, Pairs | |
| Jennifer | MacDonald | Calgary, AB | Triples, Fours | |
| Kelly | McKerihen | Toronto, ON | Triples, Fours | 2014, 2018 |
| Ryan | Bester | Hanover, ON | Singles, Pairs | 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 |
| John | Bezear | Kitchener, ON | Pairs, Fours | |
| Rob | Law | Winnipeg, MB | Triples, Fours | |
| Cameron | Lefresne | Enfield, NS | Triples, Fours | 2018 |
| Greg | Wilson | Cochrane, AB | Triples, Fours | 2018 |
Staff supporting the 2022 Commonwealth Games lawn bowls team include:
| Position | First | Last | Hometown |
| Head Coach | Terry | Scott | Dunedin, NZ |
| Coach | Darryl | Fitzgerald | Kitchener, ON |
| Team Manager | Don | Caswell | Windsor, ON |
ABOUT TEAM CANADA 2022
The 2022 Commonwealth Games will be host to 72 participating nations and territories taking part in the Games. The Commonwealth Games are a valuable opportunity as a steppingstone and development opportunity for Canadian athletes, coaches, and managers working towards Olympic and Paralympic success. Canada’s performance projection in 2022 is a top 3 ranking, in total medals, amongst all nations and territories competing. Commonwealth athletes won 80%+ of Canada’s medals at the 2020 Olympic Games
Team Canada’s dedicated mission team will provide an optimal environment by celebrating equality, diversity, and non-discrimination. This is in support of our goals needed to enable a best ever performance by Canadian athletes at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
ABOUT BOWLS CANADA
Bowls Canada Boulingrin (BCB) is the governing body responsible for lawn bowls in Canada. The BCB mission is to advance the sport of bowls in Canada. For more details about BCB and the sport of lawn bowls, visit www.bowlscanada.com.
ABOUT COMMONWEALTH SPORT CANADA
Commonwealth Sport Canada (CSC) is the franchise holder for the Commonwealth Games and the Commonwealth sport movement in Canada. CSC is an active, contributing member of the Canadian sport community and supports Canada’s athletes to achieve excellence at Olympic, Paralympic Games, and world championships. The mission of CSC is to enrich the lives of youth across the Commonwealth and host the Commonwealth Games. CSC is responsible for all aspects of Canada’s participation in the XXII Commonwealth Games and will be sending a team of almost 400 of Canada’s best athletes and coaches to compete for Canada. The upcoming Games will occur in Birmingham, England from July 28 through to August 8, 2022. For additional information go to: www.commonwealthsport.ca.
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For more information, please contact:
Alec Deschamps
Communications and Events Coordinator – Bowls Canada
Email: adeschamps@bowlscanada.com
613 244-0021 x3
Hélène Lavigne
Media Attache – Lawn Bowls
Email: helenelavigne@rogers.com
416-568-7205
Patrick Kenny
Communications Team Leader – Team Canada 2022
Email: patrick@commonwealthsport.ca
613 724 7160