The competition levels vary from sport to sport in the Pan Am Games and Commonwealth Games, the two largest regional or special-interest multi-sport events in which Canada competes.
Rugby sevens, field hockey, lawn bowls and squash are among the sports in the Commonwealth Games in which the competition is top flight as many of the leading nations in those sports are in the Commonwealth. The Canadian men’s and women’s sevens teams, with the 26 players announced Tuesday, are under no illusions about what awaits them this month in the 2022 Birmingham Games.
“The competition is fierce with both the Olympic gold [Fiji] and silver [New Zealand] medallists in action and with both countries currently playing at the highest level,” Canadian men’s team head coach Henry Paul said in a statement.
The Canadian teams are based in Langford. The Island-produced talent named to the men’s Commonwealth Games team includes a trio of Victorians in Anton Ngongo out of Claremont Secondary, Lachlan Kratz from Oak Bay and Ciaran Breen out of Shawnigan Lake School. Tokyo Olympics veterans Jake Thiel and Phil Berna will lead world No. 14 Canada with Josiah Morra and Cooper Coats other key veterans.
“We’re heading to the U.K. excited and also determined to make our mark on the tournament, [but] with the quality of opposition, it will take the maximum concentration and efforts of all our squad to do this,” said Paul.
The burgeoning University of Victoria program will be well represented at the Commonwealth Games women’s tournament with current or graduate Vikes Pamphinette Buisa, Renee Gonzalez and Krissy Scurfield. Fancy Bermudez is out of Westshore RFC. The co-captains are Breanne Nicholas and Olivia Apps. The Canadian roster also includes veterans Emma Chown, Keyara Wardley and the indestructible Bianca Farella, the latter the last connection to the 2016 Rio Olympics bronze-medallist team.
Canada had some promising results to close out the HSBC World Series women’s season and is ranked No. 7 in the world. Standing in the way in Birmingham are the respective defending Tokyo Olympics gold- and bronze-medallists New Zealand and Fiji, 2016 Rio Olympics gold-medallist and 2022 World Series-champion Australia.
“We go there with a real hunger to make it into the medal rounds,” said Canada head coach Jack Hanratty.
The Birmingham Games run July 28-Aug. 8. Rugby sevens will be played at Coventry Stadium from July 29 to 31.
cdheensaw@timescolonist.com
