Canadian Weightlifting squad for Commonwealth Games

The Canadian Weightlifting Federation and Commonwealth Games Canada today announced the weightlifters that will represent Canada at the XIX Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India, October 3rd to 14th.

The Canadian weightlifting team will be led by a trio of female powerhouses who were all silver medalists of the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia.

The squad will count on the leadership of Christine Girard (63 kg), participating in her third Commonwealth Games, who finished 4th at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Another medal hopeful, Marilou Dozois-Prévost (48 kg) finished 10th at the Beijing Olympics and was also a silver medallist in Melbourne. Rounding out the trio is Emily Quarton (58 kg), a serious threat in her weight class.

Jasvir Singh (62 kg), born in Karna, India, is also a member of the Canadian team. In 2008, Singh became the first Indo-Canadian in history to represent Canada in weightlifting. Although Singh qualified for the 2006 Commonwealth Games, he was not yet eligible due to citizenship issues. He became a Canadian citizen in time to qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, where he finished 12th in the 62 kg class.

Singh is now focused on winning a medal at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi. "Right now, I am 100 per cent focused. I feel very fortunate," he says. "I feel extremely proud and happy. These Games will be one of the most memorable competitions of my life."

Mathieu Marineau (85 kg) earned a gold medal at the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune, India. At the time, he declared that his experience in Pune was so fantastic that he wanted to come back to India for the Commonwealth Games. Paul Dumais (85 kg), a 2008 Youth Games gold medallist, is another an athlete to watch. Coach, Pierre Roy, was also a member of the team that travelled to Pune.

"I came away from the National Championships in May totally inspired by these remarkable athletes," said Team Canada Chef de Mission, Martha Deacon. "We've got a group here who've proven they can deliver podium performances and I'm excited to see what they're capable of in Delhi."

"Canada has been very fortunate to qualify a full team of eight men and seven women in weightlifting at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi," declared Paul Barrett, President of the Canadian Weightlifting Federation. "These athletes have worked hard to qualify for this prestigious event, and the expectation is that they will be very competitive in their respective categories. I wish the team every success, and remain confident that five gold medals is a distinct possibility."

The 2010 Canadian weightlifting team is in Turkey from September 17th to 26th to compete at the 2010 World Championships in Antalya. The upcoming London Olympics will be front and centre, as this event is a qualifier for the 2012 Games.

Women's team
Marilou Dozois-Prévost - 53 kilos
Annie Moniqui - 58 kilos
Emily Quarton - 58 kilos
Christine Girard - 69 kilos
Marie-Josée Arès-Pilon - 69 kilos
Katelynn Williams - 69 kilos
Marie-Ève Beauchemin-Nadeau - 75 kilos

Men's team
Jasvir Singh - 62 kilos
Dominic Lussier - 72 kilos
Paul Dumais - 85 kilos
Mathieu Marineau - 85 kilos
Buck Ramsay - 94 kilos
Nicolas Roberts - 94 kilos
George Kobaladze - 123 kilos
Parm Phangura - 137 kilos

Canada announces Commonwealth Games table tennis team

Table Tennis Canada and Commonwealth Games Canada has named the team for the XIXth Commonwealth Games to be held in Delhi from October 3-14.

Olympians Pradeeban Peter-Paul and Mo Zhang will guide a young Canadian team. Both are Pan American Games medalists (2007, Rio de Janeiro), have previous Commonwealth Games experience (2006, Melbourne) and have also both recently won the North American Championships.

New National Coach, Yongjun Duan, a quadruple medalist at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, will lead the team.

"I really enjoy the amazing athleticism of table tennis and we've got some superb players on this team," said Chef de Mission Martha Deacon. "Table tennis is hugely popular in Asia, so the competition should be phenomenal."

"Our younger athletes will face a steep learning curve at the Games," said Tony Kiesenhofer, Director General of Table Tennis Canada. "However, there are some legitimate medal chances in the women's singles, where Mo Zhang will need to fend off strong opposition from the World Champions from Singapore and from host India. In women's doubles, Mo Zhang and Sara Yuen have consistently performed well in the Commonwealth arena. The men are in a position to challenge for a medal in the Team event."

Athletes named by Table Tennis Canada to Team Canada for the 2010 Commonwealth Games were selected after the Canadian Championships in Calgary, July 16-18, the last leg of a multi-competition selection process.

Men:
Pradeeban Peter-Paul (Ottawa, ON), Pierre-Luc Hinse (Gatineau, QC), Xavier Therien (Gatineau, QC), Andre Ho (Richmond, BC)

Women:
Mo Zhang (Ottawa, ON), Sara Yuen (Ottawa, ON), Carmen Lee (Vancouver, BC),
Anqi Luo (Mississauga, ON)

Coaches: Junya Chen (Mississauga, ON), Yongjun Duan (Ottawa, ON)

All selected athletes will compete in the singles, doubles and mixed doubles events. The pairs competing in doubles, as well as the three athletes selected to compete in the team event, will be decided at a later date.

Pierre-Luc Thiriault and Marie-Andrie Livesque have been named as alternates.

Canadian Rugby 7s squad for Commonwealth Games

Rugby Canada on Thursday announced the team that will represent Canada at next month's Commonwealth Games in rugby sevens — a sport that was recently added to the Olympic program.

Canadian head coach Geraint John said he expects Canada to show well in a field full of international powers.

"Six of the seven players who started for us in the final at the Hong Kong [Sevens World Series] tournament in March will be with us in Delhi. We won that final over Wales and we'll be carrying that momentum into the Commonwealth Games next month."

Designed to be faster-paced than the traditional version of the sport, rugby sevens features seven players on the field for each team instead of 15.

The smaller team sizes make it easier for more countries to compete with traditional rugby powers — a factor in the International Olympic Committee's decision to add the sport to the program for the 2016 Games in Rio.

Rugby sevens matches are also much shorter in duration, with halves lasting seven minutes instead of 40.

That means an entire tournament can be played over a weekend — the Commonwealth competition will be decided over just two days, Oct. 11 and 12, in New Delhi, India. The amount of scoring remains comparable to a full rugby match because there's more room for players to manoeuvre.

Canada has a men's and women's sevens team, but the Commwealth Games program includes only a men's competition.

As the lone representative from North and Central America and the Caribbean, Canada drew a tough group that includes three-time reigning champion New Zealand, as well as Scotland and Guyana.

South Africa heads Pool B, which also includes Wales, Tonga and host India. Samoa tops Pool C, joined by Kenya, Uganda and Papua New Guinea. Pool D features England, Australia, Namibia and Sri Lanka.

The Canadian team features several experienced veterans — led by captain Phil Mack of Victoria, Canada's top points scorer in the Sevens World Series this season with 125.

First-year man Thyssen de Goede, also from Victoria, impressed with four tries at the Hong Kong tournament.

The full Canadian roster for the Commonwealth Games is as follows:

Nanyak Dala (Saskatoon), Thyssen de Goede (Victoria), Sean Duke (Vancouver), Ciaran Hearn (Conception Bay, N.L.), Nathan Hirayama (Richmond, B.C.),  Phil Mack (Victoria), Ian Shoults (Calgary), Neil Meechan (Maple Ridge, B.C.), Justin Mensah-Coker (Vancouver), John Moonlight (Pickering, Ont.), Taylor Paris (Barrie, Ont.), Conor Trainor (Vancouver).

Canadian TT squad for Commonwealth Games

Olympians Pradeeban Peter-Paul and Mo Zhang will lead Canada's eight-member table tennis team at next month's Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.

Both Peter-Paul and Zhang, who are from Ottawa, won medals at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro and competed at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.

Other athletes named to the team for the Oct. 3-14 Games include Pierre-Luc Hinse and Xavier Therien of Gatineau, Que., Andre Ho of Richmond, B.C., Sara Yuen of Ottawa, Carmen Lee of Vancouver and Anqi Luo of Mississauga, Ont.

Yongjun Duan, a quadruple medallist at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, will coach the team.

"Our younger athletes will face a steep learning curve at the Games," Tony Kiesenhofer, director general of Table Tennis Canada, said in a release Wednesday.

Canada's best medal chances rest with Zhang in women's singles and the men's team event, Kiesenhofer said.

The Commonwealth Games will attract more than 4,000 athletes from 71 nations and territories.

Badminton Canada announces team for 2010 Commonwealth Games

Anna Rice (Vancouver, BC), Canada's top-ranked female badminton player, ranked 29th in the world, will lead a very talented group of Canadian badminton players into Delhi, India in October for the 2010 Commonwealth Games. The Canadian team will face many of the world's top badminton nations including Malaysia, England, Singapore and the hosts from India.

"I'm especially excited to welcome our badminton athletes to the Canadian team going to Delhi," said Martha Deacon, Canada's Chef de Mission. "Over the past ten years, as a leader in badminton nationally and internationally, I have had the privilege of watching each one of these athletes develop into world-class players. I'm sure the Commonwealth Games will be pivotal to their success."

Kyle Hunter, Executive Director of Badminton Canada, added: "We are sending a top-notch team with a nice mix of both experience and youth. We know that players like Anna Rice and Jon Vandervet (Edmonton, AB) will provide great leadership to the younger players and as a group they'll aim to perform at their highest level in both singles and doubles. On the women's side, Badminton Canada would like to acknowledge the selflessness of veteran player and Olympian Milaine Cloutier for allowing her hard-earned spot on the team to be utilized by a younger deserving National Team athlete. It is this kind of sacrifice and camaraderie amongst our athletes that will bring our program to new levels of achievement."

Athletes named by Badminton Canada to Team Canada for the 2010 Commonwealth Games were selected based on their ranking after several competitions across North America over the past six months. They include:

Women:
Anna Rice, Michelle Li, Alexandra Bruce, Grace Gao, 20, (Calgary, AB), Joycelyn Ko, 24, (Toronto, ON), Women's Singles,

Men:
David Snider, 22, (Winnipeg, MB), Men's Singles, Alexander Pang, 22, (Calgary, AB), Men's Singles, Alvin Lau, 25, (Vancouver, BC), Men's Doubles, Jon Vandervet, 28, (Edmonton, AB), Men's Doubles, Toby Ng, 24, (Calgary, AB), Mixed Doubles,

Canada's Athletics squad for Commonwealth Games

Athletics Canada announced a team of 40 athletes today which will compete at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India. Athletics competition at the Commonwealth Games starts October 6th and will wrap up on the 12th.

(Read: Commonwealth Games Athletics schedule)

"At the Commonwealth Games in Delhi we expect all athletes to perform at their highest level for this year", comments Head Coach Alex Gardiner. "We are using the Commonwealth Games as an important benchmark for those athletes pursuing selection for the London Olympic Games. Results in Delhi will have a direct bearing on who we provide additional support for in the next two years leading to 2012. All athletes will have to prove readiness in September before we go to India or risk de-selection."

Athletes are as follows:
100m: Jared Connaughton (New Haven, PEI), Sam Effah (Calgary, AB), Megan Muscat (St. Thomas, ON), Leah Robinson (Petersburg, ON)

100m Hurdles: Angela Whyte (Edmonton, AB)

1500m: Josh Cassidy (Guelph, ON), Jean-Paul Compaore (Sherbrooke, QC), Nicole Edwards (Winnipeg, MB), Taylor Milne (Guelph, ON), Diane Roy (Sherbrooke, QC), Hilary Stellingwerff (Sarnia, ON)

200m: Bryan Barnett (Edmonton, AB), Jared Connaughton (New Haven, PEI), Adrienne Power (Halifax, NS)

20km Racewalk: Evan Dunfee (Richmond, BC), Inaki Gomez (Vancouver, BC)

400m: Carline Muir (Edmonton, AB), Amonn Nelson (Calgary, AB)

4x100m: Bryan Barnett (Edmonton, AB), Jared Connaughton (New Haven, PEI), Sam Effah (Calgary, AB), Michael LeBlanc (Riverview, NB), Hank Palmer (Lasalle, QC), Oluseyi Smith (Ottawa, ON)

4x400m: Ruky Abdulai (Coquitlam, BC), Diane Cummins (Victoria, BC), Carline Muir (Edmonton, AB), Amonn Nelson (Calgary, AB), Adrienne Power (Halifax, NS), Vicki Tolton (Smithers, BC)

5000m: Megan Wright (Edmonton, AB)

800m: Diane Cummins (Victoria, BC)

Decathlon: Jamie Adjetey-Nelson (Windsor, ON)

Hammer Throw: Sultana Frizell (Perth, ON), Megann Rodhe (Kamloops, BC), Crystal Smith (Kamloops, BC)

Heptathlon: Jessica Zelinka (Calgary, AB)

High Jump: Jillian Drouin (Corunna, ON), Nicole Forrester (Aurora, ON), Michael Mason (Nanoose Bay, BC)

Long Jump: Ruky Abdulai (Coquitlam, BC), Tabia Charles (Pickering, ON), Alice Falaiye (Brampton, ON)

Pole Vault: Carly Dockendorf (Port Moody, BC), Gabriella Duclos-Lasnier (Quebec, QC), Kelsie Hendry (Saskatoon, SK), Jason Wurster (Toronto, ON)

Shot Put: Dylan Armstrong (Kamloops, BC), Kyle Pettey (Brampton, ON)

Triple Jump: Tabia Charles (Pickering, ON)

Canada's Wrestling team for Commonwealth Games

Wrestling Canada confirmed participants for the 2010 Commonwealth Games to be held in Delhi, India in October.

The wrestling events at the XIX th Commonwealth Games in Delhi will feature 14 weight categories (seven freestyle and seven Greco Roman) for men and seven freestyle weight categories for women at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex from October 5-10.

Athletes named to the team include Carol Huynh (Hazelton, BC) who will be competing in the women's freestyle at 48 kg event. The 2008 Olympic Games, 2007 Pan American Games and 2005 World University Games champion and three-time World medalist will be competing in her first Commonwealth Games.

Leading the men's team will be two-time national champion, Pan American gold medalist and 2006 World University Championships bronze medalist Arjan Bhullar (Richmond, BC) at 120 kg. With a ninth place finish at the 2009 Senior World Championships Under National Team Coach Dave McKay, Bhullar will be returning to family's homeland.

"Recently at the Canada Cup tournament hosted at the University of Guelph, "I was thrilled to see Such a strong pool of athletes and witness the Exciting wrestle-offs for the final team positions," says Team Canada Chef de Mission Martha Deacon. "The team, including participants, coaches and support staff, represent the best in Canadian wrestling," says Wrestling Canada Lutte Executive Director, Tamara Medwidsky. "We go into the Commonwealth Games with high expectations in terms of performance. We hpte to gain experience that will be invaluable leading towards the preparation for the 2012 Olympic Games."


Wrestling team for 2010 Commonwealth Games constitutes:
Freestyle Men: John Pineda, James Mancini, Chris Prickett, Evan MacDonald, Danny Brown, Khetag Pliev, Arjan Bhullar.

Freestyle Women: Carol Huynh, Jessica MacDonald, Jillian Gallays, Tonya Verbeek, Justine Bouchard, Martine Dugrenier, Ohenewa Akuffo

Greco-Roman: Promise Mwenga, Jack Jump, Eric Feunekes

Canada's Commonwealth Games Cycling squad

The Canadian Cycling Association announced Thursday that its 13-member team that will take part in the 2010 Commonwealth Games, which will be held in Delhi, India, in October, will be lead by veteran rider Michael Barry.

(Read: Commonwealth Games cycling route)

Barry, who is currently competing at the Tour de France, was ninth in the road race event at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. The Toronto native also wore the Maple Leaf at the 2003 Union Cycliste Internationale road world championships, the 2000 Pan-American Games and the 2002 Commonwealth Games.

“The Canadian cycling team for Delhi Commonwealth Games intends to compete for medals,” said Team Canada chef de mission Martha Deacon. “With one gold, one silver and three bronze medals won in Melbourne in 2006, the cyclists will be highly competitive in Delhi and we are proud to support the already accomplished team members as the cycling team looks to surpass previous goals.”

Svein Tuft, a veteran member of the Canadian team, will also be taking part in the road race event. The native of Langley, B.C., was the 2008 Pan-Am champ and a silver medallist in the individual time trial at the 2008 UCI road worlds in Varese, Italy. He recently won his sixth straight Canadian crown in the time trial race at the 2010 Canadian road cycling championships.

Also named to the team were Zach Bell of Watson Lake, Yukon, who competed in the track event at the Beijing Games, and Calgary's Travis Smith, a silver and bronze medallist at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia.

Edmonton's Tara Whitten, who won the women's points race at the 2010 world championships, and Calgary's Monique Sullivan, who won the sprint title at the 2009 Canadian championships, will lead the women's team.

This year's Commonwealth Games features 14 track events (eight for men and six for women), along with two road events.

Canada's Commonwealth Games Lawn Bowling team

Bowls Canada Boulingrin and Commonwealth Games Canada announced the Lawn Bowls athletes and coaches who will join Team Canada for the XIXth Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India from October 3 - 14.

Veteran international competitor, Keith Roney (Regina, SK), is headed for his third straight Commonwealth Games, having competed in Manchester, England (2002) and Melbourne, Australia (2006). Roney is joined by two of the world's outstanding international bowlers, Ryan Bester (Cabramatta, Australia) and Hiren Bhartu (Nanaimo, BC), along with other experienced Canadian champions and international-level athletes. On the women's side, Shirley Fitzpatrick-Wong (Winnipeg, MB), a silver medalist at the 2002 Games in Manchester, is part of a squad that combines experience and youth.
"This is a group of athletes that we expect will perform extremely well in Delhi," stated Chef de Mission, Martha Deacon. "I'm really looking forward to watching them compete in the Canadian Championships coming up in August in Edmonton."

Shirley Lenarduzzi, Co-Chair of Bowls Canada Boulingrin's High Performance Committee, added there is great excitement and anticipation among the team members who are preparing for the Delhi Games. "I have a really good feeling about this group," she added, "with such a solid mixture of experienced international athletes and young, rising stars, we're looking forward to some great podium performances in October."

The team will be coached for the first time by an Australian, David Millard (Cardiff, Australia). Prior to being named to the position, David coached in the Australian Premier League. He made his first international coaching appearance -- and his first as coach of Canada's national bowls team -- at the 2009 Atlantic Championships in South Africa in May, 2009.

The team was chosen after two selection camps: one in Arizona in January, with the final cut being made at a selection camp at White Rock, B.C. in May. The athletes include:

Women

Amanda Berg, 23, (Edmonton, AB). Her first major international competition.
Shirley Fitzpatrick-Wong, 39, (Winnipeg, MB). Silver medalist at the 2002 Commonwealth Games and 2009 Canadian Pairs Champion.
Rachel Larson, 53, (Saskatoon, SK). 2009 Canadian Pairs silver medalist.
Josephine Lee, 61, (Burnaby, BC). 2009 National Singles Champion and won silver at the Hong Kong Classic in December 2009.
Harriette Pituley, 52, (Regina, SK). 1997 Canadian gold medalist in Pairs and was a member of the National Team at the 2007 Asia Pacific Championships and the 2009 Atlantic Championships.


Men

Ryan Bester, 26, (Cabramatta, Australia. Hometown: Hanover, ON). 2004 World Champion in Pairs with fellow National Team member, Keith Roney. Currently ranked #16 in the world in Singles.
Hiren Bhartu, 52, (Nanaimo, BC). 2008 Canadian Singles Champion and currently ranked 6th in the world in Singles.
Michel Larue, 44, (Longueuil, QC). Gold medalist in Pairs and bronze medalist in Fours at the 2003 Asia Pacific Championships.
Steve McKerihen, 53, (Toronto, ON). National Team member since 2004, silver medalist in Triples and bronze medalist in Fours at 2007 Asia Pacific Championships.
Keith Roney, 62, (Regina, SK). Member of Bowls Canada's National Team for 23 years. Former Pairs World Champion (2004) with Ryan Bester.
Fred Wallbank, 58, (Toronto, ON). Four-time gold medalist in Fours at the Canadian Championships.