Wheelchair Basketball Canada recently unveiled the rosters for the upcoming world championships in Ottawa, featuring both the women’s and men’s teams. The women’s squad will include familiar faces such as Kady Dandeneau, Melanie Hawtin, Puisand Lai, Tara Llanes, Cindy Ouellet, Tamara Steeves, Elodie Tessier, and Arinn Young, who all participated in the fourth-place Paralympic team in 2024. Joining them are newcomers Elise Froese, Rosie Long, Mercy Nyakundi, and Bethany Johnson.
In the previous world championships in 2022, Canada finished fifth, with their last gold medal victory dating back to 2014 in Toronto. Meanwhile, the men’s team will see the return of seven athletes who have previously competed in both the Paralympic Games and the 2022 worlds: Reed De’Aeth, Nik Goncin, Colin Higgins, Lee Melymick, Tyler Miller, Blaise Mutware, and Garrett Ostepchuk. They will be accompanied by Josh Brown, Ibrahim Odza, Kyrell Sopotyk, Lionel Tamoki, and Brandon Louie.
The Canadian men, who placed sixth at the 2022 worlds, last claimed the gold medal in 2006. The highly anticipated tournament is scheduled to take place from September 9 to 19 and will play a crucial role in determining the qualification spots for each zone at the 2028 Paralympic Games.