Wheelchair Basketball Canada has unveiled the rosters for the upcoming world championships in Ottawa, comprising both women’s and men’s teams. The women’s team includes familiar faces from the fourth-place Paralympic team in 2024, such as Kady Dandeneau, Melanie Hawtin, Puisand Lai, Tara Llanes, Cindy Ouellet, Tamara Steeves, Elodie Tessier, and Arinn Young. New additions to the women’s squad are Elise Froese, Rosie Long, Mercy Nyakundi, and Bethany Johnson. Canada’s women’s team, last achieving gold in Toronto back in 2014, is aiming to improve upon their fifth-place finish in the 2022 championships.
For the men’s team, seven players return from both the Paralympic Games and the 2022 worlds: Reed De’Aeth, Nik Goncin, Colin Higgins, Lee Melymick, Tyler Miller, Blaise Mutware, and Garrett Ostepchuk. Joining them are newcomers Josh Brown, Ibrahim Odza, Kyrell Sopotyk, Lionel Tamoki, and Brandon Louie. The Canadian men, who placed sixth in the 2022 worlds, are striving to reclaim their winning form from 2006.
The tournament, scheduled from September 9 to 19, will not only showcase top-level competition but also determine the allocation of spots each zone will receive for the 2028 Paralympic Games.
