Announcement, Athletes Council

Nominations Open for Wheelchair Rugby Canada Athletes’ Council

November 5, 2026Wheelchair Rugby Canada (WRC) is now accepting nominations for four positions on its Athletes’ Council, following the organization’s General Meeting on September 22.

Nominations Open for Wheelchair Rugby Canada Athletes’ Council

Wheelchair Rugby Canada (WRC) is now accepting nominations for four positions on its Athletes’ Council, following the organization’s General Meeting on September 22.

The Athletes’ Council serves as the collective voice of National Team athletes within WRC, ensuring athlete perspectives are represented and considered in organizational decision-making. As a standing committee of the WRC Board of Directors, the Council provides input on key areas, including athlete agreements, team selection criteria, high-performance programming and coaching.

The seven-member Council is chaired by Mélanie Labelle. Four positions are available for two-year terms, with current members Anthony Letourneau, Erika Schmutz, Cody Caldwell and Matt Debly eligible to seek re-election.

Eligibility and nominations

Athletes aged 18 or older who have participated in a recognized high-performance program or competition within the past four years are eligible to be nominated. This includes athletes who have competed at the Paralympic Games, Parapan Am Games, World Championships or qualification tournaments, as well as athletes involved in Senior or Development Athlete Assistance Program (AAP) or National Training Centre and NextGEN programs.

Eligible retired Senior National Team athletes may also be nominated, provided they are not employed by WRC or actively coaching at the national or international level.

Athletes can nominate themselves or another eligible athlete. Nominees will be contacted to accept or decline their nomination.

The nomination deadline is Wednesday, November 11, at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET.

Submit a nomination

Athletes interested in learning more about governance opportunities, but who may not be ready to run for Council, can also express their interest in receiving information about future governance training and opportunities.

Election timeline

  • November 11: Nomination deadline

  • November 12–16: Electronic voting period for eligible athletes

  • November 17: New Council announced

  • November 18: First meeting of the 2026–27 Athletes’ Council

Related Articles