Santiago 2023 Day 1 Preview: Canadian Parapan Am Team set for busy opening day

Santiago, November 17, 2023 – Following the Opening Ceremony on Friday evening, the Santiago 2023 Parapan American Games has officially commenced. Led by flag bearers Shelley Gautier and Rob Shaw, the Canadian Parapan Am Team is ready for competition, and in action in six sports on Day 1, Saturday November 18:  

Goalball
Both Canadian teams are in action and start with games against the United States. Up first are the men at 10:45 a.m. local / 8:45 a.m. ET with the women at 4:30 p.m. local / 2:30 p.m. ET. The winners of both the men’s and women’s tournaments in Santiago will earn a ticket for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

Wheelchair Basketball
With a spot at next summer’s Paralympic Games on the line, Canada’s men’s and women’s wheelchair basketball teams will hope to open their Santiago 2023 campaigns on a winning note. The women, defending Parapan Am champions and fifth at this year’s world championships, face Brazil at 12:30 p.m. local / 10:30 a.m. ET. The men, silver medallists four years ago and sixth at worlds, close out the evening at 8:30 p.m. local / 6:30 p.m. ET against hosts Chile.

Wheelchair Rugby
In wheelchair rugby, Canada is set for an opening duel opposite Argentina at 1 p.m. local / 11 a.m. ET. It’s the first of five preliminary matches in four days for the squad. Like in goalball and wheelchair basketball, the gold medallist nation will lock up a spot for Paris 2024.  

Para Swimming
The first of seven days of racing in the pool gets underway with nine of Canadians in action. The entries are Fernando Lu and Jagdev Gill in the men’s SB9 100-m breaststroke; Emma Van Dyck in the women’s S14 200-m freestyle; Tyson MacDonald, Connor Bissett and Jesse Canney in the men’s S14 200-m freestyle; Myriam Soliman in the women’s SM7 200-m individual medley; Hunter Helberg in the men’s S12 100-m backstroke; Ruby Stevens in the women’s S6 100-m backstroke; Lu and Gill in the men’s S10 50-m freestyle. The morning session starts at 9 a.m. local / 7 a.m. ET and the evening session at 5 p.m. local / 3 p.m. ET.

Para Table Tennis
Following two days of competition prior to the official start of the Games, Para table tennis is into the medal rounds for individual play. Stephanie Chan is the lone Canadian still in contention. The 66-year-old, a five-time Parapan Am medallist, will be playing in the women’s singles Class 6-7 semifinals at 10:30 a.m. local / 8:30 a.m. ET. The medal matches are set for later Saturday at 1 p.m. local / 11 a.m. ET.

CP Football
Canada’s CP Football team, making its first Parapan Am appearance since 2015, kicks off its tournament with a match versus Venezuela at 7:30 p.m. local / 5:30 p.m.

Note: Five Canadian athletes will no longer be competing at the Games due to health reasons: Lois Martin (and competition partner James Martin) from boccia, Sarah Mickey and Brendan Cote-Williamson from Para athletics, and Tarek Dahab from Para cycling.

The complete schedule for November 18 can be found on the Santiago 2023 Parapan Am website HERE.

HOW TO WATCH

The free CBC Gem streaming service, cbcsports.ca, and the CBC Sports App for iOS and Android devices will be offering streaming feeds throughout the Games. Additionally, there will be broadcast on CBC TV as part of CBC Sports Presents weekend programming. For full details on broadcast and streaming schedules, please visit cbcsports.ca.

The official broadcaster of Santiago 2023, the Pan Am Sports Channel, will also be available for free in Canada throughout the event, offering additional live feeds of sports coverage.