(Ottawa, April 13, 2007) Members of the Canadian boccia team are currently in Brno, Czech Republic to participate in the 2nd Open Czech Boccia Tournament Teams and Pairs. Canada will be represented in the BC1/BC2 team and BC4 pair categories.
Adam Dukovich, of Mississauga, ON, Tammy McLeod, of London, ON and Hanif Mawji, of Vancouver, BC will be joined by newcomers on the team: Francine Desrochers, of Montreal et Brock Richardson, of Brampton, ON; will try to win gold in the BC1/BC2 team category. This is an important competition as it is the last one before the Boccia World Cup in Vancouver from May 9 to 19. “I expect the tournament to be a good tune up for World Cup” said Dukovich. “It's a chance to blend the 2 newbies, Brock and Francine into the team, especially Brock who has never been on the national team before”.
The BC4 pair includes Josh Vander Vies of Sarnia, ON and Jonathan Poulin of Montreal, QC. During the tournament, they will face tough competition from Hungary who is ranked second in the world.
The competition starts Saturday and the final will be presented on Sunday.
Boccia is a Paralympic sport open to athletes with cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, stroke or similar non-progressive conditions. All competitors compete in wheelchairs and some are permitted to use assistive devices (usually a ramp or chute to aid in throwing the ball). Only athletes with a severe disability are eligible to compete in boccia
The Canadian Cerebral Palsy Sports Association (CCPSA) is an athlete focused national organization administering and governing sport opportunities targeted to athletes with CP and related disabilities. CCPSA and its provincial partners cooperate as a proactive force to facilitate the development of equitable and fair sporting opportunities for our athletes.
