Wheelchair Basketball Athletes Head to Orillia for Ontario Winter Games
Ontario’s next generation of athletes to play in 3×3 preparation tournament
The 2020 Ontario Winter Games are coming to Orillia and neighbouring municipalities Barrie, Oro-Medonte, Rama and Severn, from February 27-March 1, 2020. The multi-sport event is expected to include 3,500 athletes, coaches, officials and dignitaries as part of the Games. Wheelchair basketball is one of the five para-sports included among the 27 sports in the program, which includes traditional winter sports such as speed skating, curling, ringette, hockey, and alpine skiing, as well as other sports such as badminton, judo, futsal, and weightlifting. For a full list of events being contested as part of the Games visit the Orillia 2020 Ontario Winter Games ‘Sports’ page. It is estimated that the Games will generate approximately $5 million dollars in economic impact, which will be concentrated within the 5 hosting communities.
The wheelchair basketball competition will be held at St. Peter’s Catholic Secondary School in Barrie and will feature a young group of Ontario’s top up-and-coming wheelchair basketball players ranging in age from 11-22. Games will be played in a 3-on-3 format. The group of 20 athletes confirmed to participate in the Games will include a mix of provincial team athletes and club-level athletes from across Ontario, both with and without physical disabilities. The weekend will be used as a development and competition opportunity for the Team Ontario Junior provincial team who are preparing to compete at the upcoming Junior Regional Championship in Fredericton, New Brunswick in March. ONPARA will also leverage the Games as an opportunity for coaches-in-training from various club programs to gain experience coaching in a competitive setting while being mentored by some of our senior coaches.
The wheelchair basketball competition will take place from Friday, February 28 – Saturday February 29 and will be open to the public. All events at the 2020 Ontario Winter Games are free to attend for spectators thanks to the generous support from partners and sponsors! Visitors, family, and friends are encouraged to visit www.orillia2020.ca for details on sport schedules, venues, and results.
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About Games Ontario
The Orillia 2020 Ontario Winter Games is supported by the Government of Ontario, through its Games Ontario program. This program delivers or supports multi-sport events, including the Ontario Winter and Summer Games for youth, the Ontario 55+ Summer and Winter Games and the Ontario Parasport Games.
About the Ontario Para Network
Formerly known as the Ontario Wheelchair Sports Association, our mission at the Ontario Para Network (ONPARA) is to grow adaptive sport opportunities across Ontario. As the governing body for wheelchair sports in the province, we strive to offer opportunities for individuals with disabilities to participate in wheelchair athletics, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby and wheelchair tennis at recreational, competitive and high performance levels.