Press Releases

Paralympians working to form permanent Paralympic Athletes Council

12 November 2007

OTTAWA (November 12, 2007) – Paralympic athletes have come together to create an interim Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) Athletes Council.

Wheelchair rugby player David Willsie, of London, ON, has been chosen chair of an interim group of athletes charged with establishing an Athletes Council for the Canadian Paralympic Committee. The interim council was formed at the 2007 AthletesCAN Forum in Whitehorse, YK, by Paralympians in attendance and was facilitated by AthletesCAN.



The goal is have a Paralympic Athletes Council in place, with the support of all sports and an elected chair, within a year. The Council chair will sit on the board of the CPC and the Council will also hold a seat on the AthletesCAN Board of Directors. The interim council, headed by Willsie, will work together over the next year to put in place the administrative structures and bylaws for the Athletes Council.

“Competition is intensifying on the Paralympic front from other countries, and it’s important that athletes have a formal means to communicate with the CPC on high performance policies and issues. The interim council is a vital step toward the formation of a Council that will give a voice to Paralympic athletes,” said Willsie.

Willsie is joined on the interim council by Jason Dunkerley (athletics), Jessica Tuomela (swimming), Misty Thomas (wheelchair basketball), Alec Denys (AthletesCAN/CPC) and Vivian Berkeley (lawnbowls).

“AthletesCAN congratulates these athletes for taking the lead to form a CPC Athletes Council,” said AthletesCAN President Claire Carver Dias. “This is an important step in the creation of a strong and influential voice for Paralympic athletes in Canada and we look forward to continuing to support these athletes as they forge the foundations of a successful council.”

CPC President Carla Qualtrough added, “It is exciting that our athletes are establishing a council through which they will be able to express their views. As a former high-performance athlete, I know the importance of having input into policies that affect performance. It is also very important to the CPC to have the athlete perspective at all levels of decision-making.”

Willsie is co-captain of the Canadian national wheelchair rugby team. The 39-year-old was on Canada’s rugby team that won silver at the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games and that finished fourth at the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games.

Willsie has been in a wheelchair since 1995, after being checked into the boards during a hockey game and breaking his neck. He was introduced to wheelchair rugby by two members of the local rugby team, the London Annihilators, at the rehabilitation center just two weeks after his accident. He was so good at the sport that he made the Ontario and Canadian teams.

About AthletesCAN
Athletes CAN is the collective voice of Canadian national team athletes. Established in 1992, AthletesCAN provides programs of leadership, advocacy and education to ensure a fair, responsive and supportive sport system for athletes.  

Back

Events

Subscribe to this RSS feed

Previous