Ottawa, March 1, 2022 – Wheelchair Rugby Canada is proud to be sending 12 athletes to represent Canada at the 2022 WWR Americas Championship in Medellin, Colombia. Currently ranked sixth internationally, Canada can secure a berth into the WWR World Championships this October with a top 3 finish.

“After another tough stretch through this pandemic, we’re really excited about playing games and competing again”, said Head Coach, Patrick Côté. “This tournament is the official start of our journey towards Paris2024; it will also kick off a busy season that will lead us to World Championships. This will be the first test for our team as will have multiple opportunities to play the best teams in the world in the coming months.”

Wheelchair rugby competition will begin on March 9^th and conclude on March 12^th.

 

CANADA WHEELCHAIR RUGBY NATIONAL TEAM ROSTER

• 3.0 Mike Whitehead – Windsor, ON
• 0.5 Eric Furtado Rodrigues – Mississauga, ON
• 2.5 Rio Kanda Kovac – Toronto, ON
• 2.0 Anthony Létourneau – Boisbriand, QC
• 1.0 Trevor Hirschfield – Parksville, BC
• 0.5 Byron Green – Victoria, BC
• 1.0 Patrice Dagenais – Embrun, ON
• 2.0 Cody Caldwell – Cavan, ON
• 2.5 Shayne Smith – Toronto, ON
• 3.5 Zak Madell – Calgary, AB
• 1.5 Patrice Simard – Quebec City, QC
• 3.0 Matt Debly – Windsor, ON

“We feel like we’ve been continuously improving these last few years and even though we fell short of a podium finish in Tokyo, the team wants to prove that we belong with the elites of the world”, said Co-Captain, Patrice Dagenais. “Qualifying in Colombia is the first step in that journey and the team is ready to go.”

 

CANADA’S PRELIMINARY ROUND SCHEDULE

Match 1 – Canada vs. Brazil

March 9 1:00pm EST, 10:00am PST

 

Match 2 – Colombia vs. Canada

March 9 7:00pm EST, 4:00pm PST

 

Match 3 – Canada vs. Argentina

March 10 4:30pm EST, 1:30pm PST

 

Match 4 – Canada vs. United States

March 11 9:30am EST, 6:30am PST

 

Match 5 – Canada vs. Chile

March 11 2:30pm EST, 11:30am PST

 

ELIMINATION GAME SCHEDULE

Semifinals 1

March 12 9:30am EST, 6:30am PST

 

Semifinals 2

March 12 11:30am EST, 8:30am PST

 

Consolation Match

March 12 2:30pm EST, 11:30am PST

 

Championship Game

March 12 4:30pm EST, 1:30pm PST

 

“We’ve been here for years, said co-captain Trevor Hirschfield. “The squad is eager to get to Colombia and qualify for worlds.”

For more details on spectating, media and scheduling visit the tournament’s website here.

ABOUT WWR AMERICAS

The 2022 Americas Championship is a WWR tournament that provides qualification to the 2022 World Championship. Participating teams include Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, & United States.

ABOUT WHEELCHAIR RUGBY CANADA

Wheelchair Rugby Canada is the national governing body for the Canadian Heritage Sport of wheelchair rugby. Wheelchair Rugby Canada strives to be a world-leader in wheelchair rugby, a respected advocate for wheelchair athletes and a visionary organization committed to excellence in programs from recruitment to retirement.

MEDIA CONTACT

Nathan Lederer
Communications and Marketing Coordinator
Wheelchair Rugby Canada
nathan@wheelchairrugby.ca or 905-531-7428