The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games officially kicked off on Tuesday, with Para judoka Priscilla Gagné (Sarnia, ON) carrying the flag for Canada at the Opening Ceremony. The focus now turns to competition, with Canadian athletes set to see action in six sports on Wednesday August 25.
• Five swimmers will be in the pool, including five-time Paralympic medallist Aurélie Rivard (St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC), who is racing the S10 50m freestyle – an event she won at Rio 2016 and the 2019 world championships. Heats start at 9 a.m. JST / 8 p.m. ET (Tuesday) while finals commence at 5 p.m. JST / 4 a.m. ET – including the women’s S10 50m freestyle at 7:12 p.m. JST / 6:12 a.m. ET. Rivard will be joined by teammates Nicholas Bennett (Parksville, BC), Angela Marina (Cambridge, ON), Shelby Newkirk (Saskatoon, SK), and Alec Elliot (Kitchener, ON). Bennett, Marina, and Newkirk are all making their Paralympic debuts.
• All of Canada’s four wheelchair fencers will be in action starting at 9 a.m. JST / 8 p.m. ET (Tuesday), participating in the sabre event. Pierre Mainville (St-Colomban, QC) will compete in the men’s B category, Matthieu Hébert (Beauharnois, QC) and Ryan Rousell (Saskatoon, SK) in the men’s A classification, and Ruth Sylvie Morel (Pincourt, QC) in the women’s A tournament.
• Led by team captain Amy Burk (Charlottetown, PEI), the Canadian women’s goalball team plays its first of four preliminary matches, taking on RPC at 10:30 a.m. JST / 9:30 p.m. ET (Tuesday). Canada finished sixth at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.
• Para cyclist Keely Shaw (Midale, SK) will make her Paralympic debut at the Izu Velodrome, competing in the women’s C4 individual pursuit. She won a silver medal in this event at the 2019 world championships, and finished fourth in the 2020 edition. Qualifying for Shaw begins at 10:56 a.m. JST / 9:56 p.m. ET (Tuesday).
• Canada’s women’s wheelchair basketball team, gold medallists at the 2019 Parapan Am Games, kicks off its Tokyo campaign at 2:45 pm JST / 1:45 am ET against Great Britain. The squad will play four preliminary games.
• Canada will also face off against Great Britain in wheelchair rugby round-robin play at 5:30 p.m. JST / 4:30 a.m. ET. The Canadians, who finished fourth at Rio 2016, will compete in three matches over three days with a goal of advancing to the semifinals.
COMPLETE SCHEDULE
CLICK HERE for the complete Canadian Paralympic Team schedule on August 25.
HOW TO WATCH
Livestream and on-demand broadcasts can be found on Paralympic.ca/Tokyo-2020/live-stream-video-demand, cbc.ca/tokyo2020 and Radio-Canada.ca/jeux-paralympiques, the CBC Sports app for iOS and Android devices, the free CBC Gem streaming service, and the Radio-Canada Sports app.
August 25 Canadian TV Broadcasts:
Sportsnet One (CBC Late Night Replay) – 7 a.m. ET
CBC Daytime – 3 p.m. local
CBC Primetime – 7 p.m. local
CBC Late Night – 12:30 a.m. local (August 26)
Radio-Canada Afternoon – 1 p.m. ET
Radio-Canada Late Night – 11:05 p.m. ET
Click here for the complete broadcast schedule.
