The Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) announced which athletes will be competing on the women’s sitting volleyball Paralympic team.
The team will be comprised of 11 players who together earned a bronze medal at the Lima 2019 Parapan Am Games. Eight athletes also competed at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games five years ago: Angelena Dolezar, Danielle Ellis, Jennifer Oakes, Heidi Peters, Amber Skyrpan, Felicia Voss-Shafiq, Jolan Wong, and Katelyn Wright. Three women will be competing for their first time at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games: Anne Fergusson, Julie Kozun, and Payden Vair.
“I feel so grateful to be a part of Canada’s sitting volleyball program heading to Tokyo 2020 for our second Paralympic Games!” said team captain Danielle Ellis. “I am so proud of the work that each one of us has done over the last five years and am so excited to compete against the best teams in the world, and show those teams that Canada means business. We’re ready to fight!”
Canada’s women’s sitting volleyball team earned its spot at the 2020 Paralympics with a win in its last-chance qualification tournament, hosted in Halifax, Nova Scotia in February 2020. The team came out successful four other nations to take the last spot to Tokyo.
This will be Canada’s second straight Paralympic appearance in women’s sitting volleyball after debuting at the Rio 2016 Games, where they finished seventh.
“The wait for this Paralympic Games has been different and long, but regardless of our circumstances throughout the last year and the four years before that we found ways to improve every day,” said Heidi Peters. “I cannot wait to compete and represent Canada alongside these incredible women. We’ve barely scratched the surface of what this team is capable of and I’m ready to show the world our growth!”
Canada, who is currently ranked fifth in the world, will be competing alongside seven countries: USA, China, Italy, Brazil, Rwanda, Japan, and Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC). The round-robin groups and match schedule have yet to be determined. The event will run from August 27 to September 5.
“I am beyond proud to coach such a strong and resilient group of athletes who have continued to improve both physically and mentally despite the uncertainties of this past year,” said women’s sitting volleyball head coach, Nicole Ban. “Each athlete’s dedication to this program has been evident throughout this quad, earning us the opportunity to compete against the world’s best in Tokyo. We have made huge strides since our Paralympic debut in Rio in 2016 and we look forward to showcasing that next month.”
Sitting volleyball has been part of the Paralympic Games program since 1980 although the women’s tournament was only included in 2004. Rio 2016 was the first year Canada qualified in the sport.
“This is an incredible group of athletes, and it is an absolute pleasure to welcome them to the Canadian Paralympic Team,” said Stephanie Dixon, chef de mission, Tokyo 2020 Canadian Paralympic Team. “I know how hard this team has worked to qualify for their second straight Paralympic Games and solidify their place as one of the top nations in the world. I am excited to cheer them on in Tokyo!”
