Para sport update: Canadian goalball teams gain valuable experience at world championships

OTTAWA – Canada defeated Thailand 5-3 on Monday to place seventh in women’s competition at the World Goalball Championships held this past week in Hangzhou, China.

The tournament served as the first qualification for the Paralympic Games with the top-two in both men’s and women’s play earning a berth for LA 2028. China and Israel were 1-2 on the women’s side while China beat Germany in the men’s final.

The Canadian women went undefeated in the preliminary round with victories over Ukraine (3-2) and Poland (7-3) before tying Japan 1-1 to advance to the quarterfinals.

In their quarterfinal match, Canada lost 6-4 to Israel and was relegated to the 5-8 classification in which they lost 7-4 to Japan before Monday’s win over Thailand.

The Canadian team members were Paralympians Amy Burk of Ottawa, Meghan Mahon of Calgary and Emma Reinke of St. Thomas, Ont., along with newcomers Cassandra Ruttle of Calgary, Elena Hung of Toronto and Gen Hart of Ottawa.

‘’While we fell short of that objective, this team never stopped believing in each other,’’ the team wrote on its Facebook page. ‘’Throughout this tournament, we trusted our team, the work we’ve put in, and the system that’s been built through countless hours of training.’’

Canada still has two more opportunities to qualify in 2027 including the Parapan American Games.

‘’We’ll take the lessons from this tournament, get back to work, and keep pushing forward. Canada is going home hungry, focused, and more determined than ever. The mission hasn’t changed.’’

On the men’s side, the Canadians opened the preliminary round with losses to Ukraine and Turkey before defeating Australia 6-5. In the playoff round, Canada defeated Egypt 10-6 then lost to Australia 5-2 and 7-6 to Poland in overtime in the 11^th place game for 12^th spot.

The men’s team members are Paralympian Blair Nesbitt of Edmonton as well as Raki Karim, Nick Gentleman, Harry Nickerson, Mason Smith and Peter Parsons.

Groups set for 2026 IWBF Wheelchair Basketball World Championships in Ottawa

Wheelchair Basketball Canada hosted the Official Draw for the Ottawa 2026 IWBF Wheelchair Basketball World Championships on Thursday.

The championships will welcome 336 athletes representing 28 teams from around the globe to Ottawa from Sept. 9–19, 2026. The Official Draw determined the competition groups for both the men’s and women’s teams, marking a key milestone in the lead-up to 11 days of elite international competition.

Women’s Groups

Group A
Brazil, China, Great Britain, Australia, Spain, Canada

Group B
United States, Japan, Netherlands, Algeria, Germany, France

Men’s Groups

Group A
United States, Italy, Brazil, Netherlands

Group B
Australia, Great Britain, Türkiye, Argentina

Group C
Spain, Japan, Poland, Colombia

Group D
Morocco, Germany, Iran, Canada

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ottawa2026 IWBF Wheelchair Basketball World Championships (@ottawa2026wbwc)

The largest team Parasport world championship, Ottawa 2026 is expected to generate more than $25 million in economic impact and attract over 100,000 spectators to the nation’s capital.

The full competition schedule is set for release on June 18, with single-session tickets going on sale June 25.

“The Draw is an important step in our preparation as our national teams move through training camps and competitions this summer, and into the final phase ahead of the championships,” said Jeff Dunbrack, Director, High Performance, Wheelchair Basketball Canada. “We’re excited to build on our success at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games and compete on home soil.”

The championships will be hosted at The Arena at TD Place and Carleton University, providing Canadians with a rare opportunity to experience the sport’s highest level of competition.

Fans can stay up to date on schedule announcements, ticket information and event news at ottawa2026.ca.

NextGen heads to Europe: Athletics Canada names 2026 European Tour team

Athletics Canada announced the athletes selected for the 2026 NextGen European Tour, a two-week international camp and competition block set for July 1 -12 and based in Stuttgart, Germany.

The group includes eight Para athletes.

They are: Carleigh Hiltz of Truro, N.S., and Paralympians Amanda Rummery of Edmonton Charlotte Bolton of Tillsonburg, Ont., Guillaume Ouellet of Victoriaville, Que., Jesse Zesseu of Toronto, Katie Pegg of Markham, Ont., Mariss Papaconstantinou of Toronto and Renee Foessel of London, Ont.

The camp is at the Olympic Training Center in Stuttgart. This is a familiar high-performance environment for Athletics Canada, and the same venue that will also host the pre-Commonwealth Games holding camp later this year.

Athletes will train daily out of Stuttgart, then travel to targeted meets across Europe, stepping into competitive fields, learning how to manage travel, and getting real reps against international opposition.

‘’In sending both Olympic and Paralympic program athletes, Athletics Canada is creating an integrated high-performance environment where NextGen athletes are exposed to the full national team standard that is consistent for national team athletes,’’ Athletics Canada stated in a news release.