Peterborough’s Cody Caldwell is one of 12 wheelchair rugby athletes who have been nominated to represent Canada at the Santiago 2023 Parapan Am Games, which take place in Chile’s capital from November 17 to 26.
The Canadian Paralympic Committee and Wheelchair Rugby Canada announced the roster on Monday (October 2), which also includes Ontario athletes Patrice Dagenais of Embrun, Matt Debly of Windsor, Rio Kanda Kovac of Toronto, Travis Murao of Toronto, Eric Rodrigues of Mississauga, and Mike Whitehead of Windsor, British Columbia athletes Byron Green of Victoria and Trevor Hirschfield of Parksville, Quebec athletes Anthony Létourneau of Boisbriand and Patrice Simard of Quebec City, and Alberta athlete Zak Madell of Okotoks.
Patrice Simard and Mike Whitehead are the longest-serving members of the team, with six and five Paralympic Games appearances to their names, while Rio Kanda Kovac and Matt Debly will be participating in their first multi-sport games.
The 35-year-old Caldwell began his wheelchair rugby career in 2008 after becoming a quadriplegic in a diving accident. He decided to take up wheelchair rugby when, just a week after his accident, he saw the 2005 film Murderball, which documented the rivalry between the Canadian and U.S. wheelchair rugby teams leading up to the 2004 Paralympic Games.
A former Peterborough Petes AAA goalie and soccer player, Caldwell adapted quickly to wheelchair rugby and soon earned a reputation for his mix of intelligence and speed. He made the national team in 2013, and has competed with Team Canada at two Parapan American Games and two Paralympic Games.
Caldwell helped Canada win gold at the 2015 Parapan Ams and silver in 2019. He has also been a member of the last three world championship teams, when Canada took silver in 2014, was sixth in 2018, and fifth in 2022.
Prior to being officially named to the Canadian Parapan Am Team, all nominations are subject to approval by the Canadian Paralympic Committee. The approved final roster will be announced closer to the start of the Santiago 2023 Parapan Am Games.
The wheelchair rugby tournament in Santiago takes place from November 18 to 23, with the winner earning a spot in the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games next summer.
At the Parapan Am Games in Lima four years ago, Canada finished second to the U.S. and later earned its ticket for the Paralympic Games at a last-chance qualifier. The team finished fifth at the Tokyo Games, a placement it matched a year later at the 2022 world championships.
Canada is currently number five in the World Wheelchair Rugby World Rankings.
“Congratulations to all 12 athletes nominated for the wheelchair rugby team,” says Josh Vander Vies, co-chef de mission of the Santiago 2023 Canadian Parapan Am Team, in a media release. “We know how important the Parapan Am Games is on this team’s road to Paris and how much work they have put in, and we will do everything we can to support them on the ground at the games.”
“A very warm welcome to the entire wheelchair rugby team,” adds co-chef de mission Karolina Wisniewska, “This is an experienced team with clear goals in Santiago, and it will no doubt be a very exciting, nail-biting tournament. I cannot wait to cheer on the entire team in Santiago.”
