Wheelchair Basketball Canada has unveiled the lineups for its men’s and women’s teams set to compete in the upcoming world championships in Ottawa. Among the women’s squad are key players such as Kady Dandeneau, Melanie Hawtin, Puisand Lai, Tara Llanes, Cindy Ouellet, Tamara Steeves, Elodie Tessier, and Arinn Young, who all return from the 2024 Paralympic team that secured a fourth-place finish. Additionally, Elise Froese, Rosie Long, Mercy Nyakundi, and Bethany Johnson have been selected to join the roster.
In previous championships, Canada claimed fifth place in 2022 and last achieved a podium finish in 2014, clinching gold in Toronto. The men’s team features seven familiar faces from both the Paralympic Games and the 2022 worlds, including Reed De’Aeth, Nik Goncin, Colin Higgins, Lee Melymick, Tyler Miller, Blaise Mutware, and Garrett Ostepchuk. They will be joined by newcomers Josh Brown, Ibrahim Odza, Kyrell Sopotyk, Lionel Tamoki, and Brandon Louie.
Having secured sixth place in the 2022 worlds, the Canadian men last took home the gold medal in 2006. The tournament, scheduled from Sept. 9-19, holds significance as it will determine the allocation of slots each zone will receive for the 2028 Paralympic Games.