(OTTAWA, ONT.) Wheelchair Basketball Canada announced that 16 athletes will participate in a camp and play in the Ottawa Invitational tournament presented by Meridian Credit Union from May 16-21, 2023.

In addition to on-court practices, Canada will face the United States and the Netherlands in a series of games in preparation for the upcoming IWBF World Championships (June 9-20).

“The camp in Ottawa will provide our athletes an excellent opportunity to build chemistry ahead of the World Championships,” said Jeff Dunbrack, Wheelchair Basketball Canada High Performance Director. “The Ottawa Invitational tournament will give our athletes excellent competition as we prepare for Dubai.”

Team Canada’s Ottawa Invitational schedule:

Wednesday, May 17
Netherlands vs Canada (NextGen) 5 p.m. ET

Thursday, May 18
Canada vs Netherlands 11 a.m. ET

Friday, May 19
USA vs Canada 9 a.m. ET

Saturday, May 20
Netherlands vs Canada 9 a.m. ET
Canada vs USA 1:30 p.m. ET

The games will take place at Carleton University Ravens’ Nest (9376 University Drive, Ottawa, ON) and are free and open to the public. Those wishing to attend games can secure their free tickets here.  

All of Canada’s games will be streamed on CBC Sports digital platforms, including the free CBC Gem streaming service, cbcsports.ca and the CBC Sports app for iOS and Android devices, as well as on WBC’s YouTube channel, beginning Thursday, May 18, when Team Canada tips off against the Netherlands at 11 a.m. ET.

The 16 athletes participating are:

Senior Athletes
Patrick Anderson (Fergus, Ont.)
Nik Goncin (Regina, Sask.)
Reed De’Aeth (Sherwood Park, Alta.)
Bo Hedges (Wonowon, B.C.)
Garrett Ostepchuk (Regina, Sask.)
Tyler Miller (Kitchener, Ont.)
Chad Jassman (Calgary, Alta.)
Vincent Dallaire (Quebec City, Que.)
Blaise Mutware (Toronto, Ont.)
Jonathan Vermette (Sherbrooke, Que.)
Lee Melymick (Toronto, Ont.)
Colin Higgins (Rothesay, N.B.)

NextGen
Collin Lalonde (St-Clet, Que.)
Dani Bigu (Kitchener, Ont.)
Westley Johnston (Charlottetown, P.E.I.)
Josh Brown (East St. Paul, Man.)

Coaches
Matteo Feriani (Padova, Italy) – Senior Men’s Head Coach
Nicolas Palmer (Laval, Que.) – Senior Men’s Assistant Coach
Darrell Nordell (Edmonton, Alta.) – Assistant Coach & U23 Men’s Head Coach

Additional Support Staff
Danielle de Laat (Hamilton, Ont.) – Physiotherapist
Jesse McNalley (Toronto) – Performance Analyst
Colby Hathaway (Four Falls, N.B.) – Strength & Conditioning Coach
Jeff Dunbrack (Halifax, N.S.) – High Performance Director

About the Ottawa Invitational
The Ottawa Invitational tournament, presented by Meridian Credit Union, runs May 17-21, 2023, at the Carleton University Ravens’ Nest. The five-day tournament will feature the top wheelchair basketball athletes from Canada, the Netherlands and the United States as they prepare for the upcoming IWBF World Championships. The event is supported, in part, by The Government of Canada and Ottawa Tourism. Please visit Wheelchair Basketball Canada’s Ottawa Invitational event page for further information, including the complete schedule.

About Wheelchair Basketball Canada
Wheelchair Basketball Canada is the national sports governing body responsible for the organization of the sport in Canada. It is a non-profit, charitable organization committed to excellence in developing, supporting, and promoting wheelchair basketball programs and services from grassroots to high performance for all Canadians. Wheelchair basketball is a fast-paced, hard-hitting, competitive sport in which Canada is held in high esteem worldwide for winning a combined six gold, one silver, and one bronze medal in the last seven Paralympic Games. For more information, please visit wheelchairbasketball.ca.

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For more information, please contact:

Dhiren Mahiban
Communications & Digital Media Manager
Wheelchair Basketball Canada
C: 416-574-6682
dmahiban@wheelchairbasketball.ca