Parapan Am Games bound badminton player William Roussy is among 13 Para athletes recently announced as 2023-24 Petro-Canada FACE™ grant recipients. Each athlete along with their coach will receive $10,000 in funding for the next year.
The Fuelling Athlete and Coaching Excellence (FACE™) grants are awarded to up-and-coming athletes with goals of representing Canada at the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The funds – of which $5,000 goes to the athlete and $5,000 to their coach – are used for training, equipment, coach education, and competition travel expenses.
Since 1988, Petro-Canada has supported over 3,500 Canadian athletes and their coaches by providing more than $13.5 million in financial support.
Roussy, from Maria, Que. in the Gaspé region, is only 19 but is already headed to his second Parapan American Games in Santiago this November. He was also a member of the 2022 world championships team and won the gold medal last year in men’s singles at the Pan Am Championships.
“My short-term goals are to win the gold medal at the Parapan Ams and crack the top-10 in the world,” said Roussy, coached by Éric Dufour. “The FACE grant will help me attend more competitions so I can have opportunities to improve my world rankings which will be important in the Paralympic Games qualifying.”
Para nordic skier Emma Archibald of Fall River, N.S. is a first-time recipient of the grant. The university student is excited about the upcoming season as she will be eligible to compete at World Cup events. The grant will bring financial relief to her big year ahead.
“These funds will allow me to give all my focus to training without the financial worries,” said Archibald, coached by Sheila Kealey. “The funds will allow me to obtain more gear to keep up with my level of competition, contribute to offsetting travel costs, help with race fees, and go towards accommodation costs while I am away for race weeks.”
Recent FACE™ recipients include badminton player Olivia Meier, paddler Andrea Nelson, boccia player Danik Allard, and swimmers Nicholas Bennett and Nikita Ens, all members of the Tokyo 2020 Canadian Paralympic Team.
Here are the Para athletes and coaches named as 2023-24 FACE™ grant recipients:
William Roussy, Para badminton, Maria, Que. – Coach: Éric Dufour
Hayden Denouden, Para alpine skiing, Greenwood, N.S. – Coach: Shelley Johnson
Emma Archibald, Para nordic skiing, Fall River, N.S. – Coach: Coach: Sheila Kealey
Reese Ketler, wheelchair rugby, Winnipeg – Coach: Mike Whitehead
Olivier Roy, boccia, Quebec City – Coach: Véronique Messier
Florence Carrier, Para alpine skiing, Orford, Que. – Coach: Mark Newton
Laura Calovini, Par athletics, Brampton, Ont. – Coach Ken Hall
Carter Plumb, boccia, Brampton, Ont. – Coach: Tiffany Gaudette
Tianna Rissling, Para athletics, Calgary – Coach: Kim Cousins
Logan Cox, Para nordic skiing, Prince George, B.C. – Coach : Graham Nishikawa
Andrew Livingstone, powerlifting, Edmonton – Coach : Kim Cousins
Natalia Lanucha, wheelchair tennis, Pincourt, Que. – Coach: Étienne Bergeron
Desiree Isaac-Pitou, wheelchair basketball, Eel River Bar, N.B. – Coach: Clary Stubbert
