Wheelchair Basketball Canada – (December 14, 2016 – OTTAWA, ONT.) Wheelchair Basketball Canada is delighted to announce that Jeff Dunbrack is joining the organization in the role of High Performance Director as of January 2017.
 
“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Jeff back into the fold and are confident that he will lead our high performance program to new heights as we pursue our vision of being the world leader in wheelchair basketball both on and off the court,” said Wheelchair Basketball Canada Executive Director Wendy Gittens. “Jeff is an innovative and highly skilled individual who is very familiar with our sport and he is committed to the culture of excellence that defines our organization. He possesses a strong and versatile background in the world of high performance parasport and will be a considerable asset to our program as we progress towards Tokyo 2020.”
 
Dunbrack will be responsible for the strategic direction of the Wheelchair Basketball Canada high performance program, including maximizing the potential of Canada’s national teams at the world championships and the Paralympic Games. Dunbrack will also work alongside Mike Frogley, who remains in his role as the lead coach of the National Academy program, to optimize the development of the next generation of elite Canadian wheelchair basketball athletes.
 
“I am extremely excited to be at the helm of a world-class high performance program with such a storied history of innovation and international success,” said Dunbrack. “This opportunity allows me to return to the organization where I started my career in high performance sport and I look forward to being a part of the next great chapter in Canadian wheelchair basketball.”
 
Dunbrack will begin his tenure with Wheelchair Basketball Canada as of January 9, 2017. He returns to the organization after spending the last four years as a high performance manager with the Canadian Paralympic Committee.
 
In his role with the CPC he managed the delivery and implementation of the high performance strategies and programs in key areas such as coaching, athlete classification, games preparation and planning, athlete identification, results and performance analysis. He attended the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Games and was a member of the CPC core leadership team at the Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games and the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

“Jeff has been a strong contributor to the CPC team as high performance manager since joining in 2012 following the London Paralympic Games,” said Catherine Gosselin-Després, Executive Director of Sport with the Canadian Paralympic Committee. “He will leave CPC with a strong legacy in high performance and a solid strategy leading into 2020-22. With the support of his team, Jeff has fostered positive relationships with NSOs and garnered confidence and trust within the sport community. I am confident that Jeff will bring strong technical leadership to WBC and will play a major role in building the wheelchair basketball program for the future. As a community, we are very fortunate to have such a quality individual moving on as a technical lead of one of our Paralympic sports.”
 
“I am truly grateful for my time with the CPC and for the opportunity to have worked with such tremendous colleagues, athletes, coaches, sport partners and volunteers over the past four years,” said Dunbrack.
 
This appointment is Dunbrack’s second stint with the organization as he spent four years working with Wheelchair Basketball Canada from 2006-2010, including three years as the coordinator of the high performance program. He was also the team manager of Canada’s Paralympic silver medallist men’s wheelchair basketball team at Beijing 2008.
 
He moved on in 2010 to become a lead coach with the national para-rowing team at Rowing Canada, where he led the national team to gold and silver medal performances at the world rowing championships and an appearance at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
 
About Wheelchair Basketball Canada
 
Wheelchair Basketball Canada is the national sport governing body responsible for the organization of the sport in Canada. It is a non-profit, charitable organization that is committed to excellence in the development, support and promotion of wheelchair basketball programs and services for all Canadians from grassroots to high performance. Wheelchair basketball is a fast-paced, hard-hitting, competitive sport in which Canada is held in high esteem around the world for winning a combined six gold, one silver, and one bronze medal in the last seven Paralympic Games.

For more information visit: www.wheelchairbasketball.ca

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Media Contacts: 

Courtney Pollock
Manager, Communications and Marketing
Wheelchair Basketball Canada
T: 613-260-1296 ext. 203
cpollock@wheelchairbasketball.ca

Lindsay Crone
Coordinator, Communications
Wheelchair Basketball Canada
T: 613-260-1296 ext. 205
lcrone@wheelchairbasketball.ca