Goalball national team talent pools unveiled for 2026-27 season

OTTAWA – Twenty-two athletes have been named to the Canadian goalball men’s and women’s national team talent pools for the 2026-27 season.

The teams for the 2027 IBSA (International Blind Sports Association) World Games and 2027 Parapan American Games will be selected from the talent pools. Both events are key competitions for LA28 Paralympic Games qualification.

The selections include five Paralympians along with a strong contingent of emerging athletes looking to make their mark on the international stage.

The women’s 10-member pool includes four Paralympians and members of the 2023 Parapan Am Games champion squad: five-time Paralympian Amy Burk, three-time Paralympian Meghan Mahon as well as two-time Paralympians Emma Reinke and Maryam Salehizadeh.

Joining the four veterans in the talent pool are Arianna Balson, Florinda Gouegni, Shams Hamad, Jade Ondrik, Cassandra Ruttle, and Sadie Trant.  

Balson, Ruttle, and Trant all won silver as part of the women’s goalball team at the Chile 2025 Youth Parapan Am Games last fall, while Ruttle made her world championships debut earlier this year. Canada finished seventh at the 2026 worlds.

The selections were finalized by women’s head coach Trent Farebrother and goalball high-performance director Andrew Muir.

On the men’s side, 2016 Paralympian and three-time Parapan Am Games veteran Blair Nesbitt headlines the 12 named athletes.  

Brice Parker, Aaron Prevost, and Mason Smith, who helped Canada win bronze at the 2023 Parapan American Games alongside Nesbitt, are also among the selections.

They are joined by Rakibul Karim, Nick Gentleman, Harry Nickerson, Peter Parsons, Hayden Den Ouden, Caden Johnson, Munashe Nyenya, and John Tee.

Nickerson, Den Ouden, and Johnson won bronze together as part of Canada’s men’s goalball team at the Chile 2025 Youth Parapan Am Games, where Nickerson was also Canada’s co-Opening Ceremony flag bearer.

At the 2026 worlds, Canada represented by Nesbitt, Karim, Gentleman, Nickerson, Smith, and Parsons and finished 12th.

National team talent pool selections were finalized by men’s head coach Matthew Bartley and Muir.

The two major events on the 2026-27 goalball calendar are the 2027 IBSA World Games, set for May 26 to June 6 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan and the 2027 Parapan American Games from August 20-29 in Lima, Peru. Rosters for those events will be announced closer to the competition dates.

2026-27 NATIONAL TEAM TALENT POOL – WOMEN

1. Arianna Balson (Edmonton)
2. Amy Burk (Charlottetown)
3. Florinda Gouegni (Quebec City)
4. Shams Hamad (Halifax)
5. Meghan Mahon (Timmins, Ont.)
6. Jade Ondrik (Ottawa)
7. Emma Reinke (St. Thomas, Ont.)
8. Cassandra Ruttle (Calgary)
9. Maryam Salehizadeh (Vancouver)
10. Sadie Trant (Kitchener, Ont.)

2026-27 NATIONAL TEAM TALENT POOL – MEN

1. Hayden Den Ouden (Barrie, Ont.)
2. Nick Gentleman (Hubbards, N.S.)
3. Caden Johnson (Red Deer, Alta.)
4. Rakibul Karim (Montreal)
5. Blair Nesbitt (Stony Plain, Alta.)
6. Harry Nickerson (Halifax)
7. Munashe Nyenya (Edmonton)
8. Brice Parker (London, Ont.)
9. Peter Parsons (Halifax)
10. Aaron Prevost (Cornwall, Ont.)
11. Mason Smith (Middleton, N.S.)
12. John Tee (Vancouver)