Gatineau to host Paralympian Search event for aspiring Para athletes

OTTAWA – The Canadian Paralympic Committee will be on the lookout next month for promising Para athletes in the National Capital Region as Paralympian Search heads to Gatineau on April 6.

An athlete identification event that tests participant aptitudes to excel in various Paralympic sports, Paralympian Search aims to discover athletes with high development potential. Taking place at the Centre sportif Gatineau, the one-day event will welcome all athletes ages 14 and up with a physical or visual disability. 

Patrice Dagenais, co-captain of the Canadian national wheelchair rugby team, will be on hand as the event’s ambassador to provide support and guidance to the aspiring athletes. Dagenais has competed at the last two Paralympic Games and was part of the silver-medal winning squad at London 2012. 

“We are always looking to find more talented Para athletes and events like Paralympian Search are so important to show people the possibilities that are out there to be involved in sport and how it can transform your life,” said Dagenais. “Sport has provided me with so much and I hope my story can help others take the next step in their journey.” 

Participants will go through a series of physical tests and learn about the different sports in which they may have the most potential to compete. Representatives from different national sport organizations will be on hand to view the testing and answer any questions. All participants will receive information on how to access sport opportunities at all levels. 

A number of athletes have been identified from Paralympian Search events and already gone on to attend training camps or compete at international events. For example, Kyle Barber, a Toronto 2016 attendee, recently competed in his first world championships as a member of the Canadian Para nordic NextGen team. Para ice hockey player Garrett Riley attended Montreal 2017 and has since progressed from Hockey Canada’s developmental team to the national team.  

Paralympian Search in Gatineau is being co-hosted alongside national partner Institut national du sport du Québec and regional partner Conseil de développement du sport de Gatineau. 

For more information about Paralympian Search and to register for the upcoming Gatineau event, please visit: http://jeux.paralympique.ca/gatineau.