Canada’s representation at the Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games in Glasgow are set to commence, with Kady Dandeneau and Ryan Bester leading the Canadian contingent into the opening ceremony. Dandeneau, a wheelchair basketball player, will serve as Canada’s flag-bearer, while lawn bowler Bester will carry the team baton. The ceremony will take place at the OVO Hydro arena.
Canada’s team for the Games includes 148 athletes and 91 officials, led by chef de mission Erica Wiebe. Wiebe is an Olympic wrestling gold medalist from 2016 and also won gold at the Commonwealth Games in 2014 and 2018. The Canadian team enters the Glasgow Games ranked third on the all-time medal table for the event.
The Games will feature over 3,000 athletes from 74 Commonwealth nations and territories, competing for 215 gold medals over 11 days. Glasgow stepped in to host the event after Australia’s Victoria state government withdrew in 2023 due to hosting costs. This change resulted in a reduced schedule, with 10 sports being contested, down from 19 sports four years ago in Birmingham, England. The sports included are artistic gymnastics, athletics, 3×3 basketball, boxing, judo, lawn bowls, netball, swimming, track cycling, and weightlifting. Para competitions will be held in athletics, 3×3 basketball, bowls, swimming, track cycling, and weightlifting.
Key Canadian athletes to watch
Among the notable Canadian athletes competing is Ryan Bester, who is making his seventh appearance at the Commonwealth Games, a Canadian record. Bester, a 41-year-old from Hanover, Ont., has previously won silver medals in men’s singles in 2014 and 2018, along with a bronze in 2006. He is also the reigning world champion in lawn bowls, having defeated Ireland’s Gary Kelly in 2023. Bester has accumulated 18 medals across the Commonwealth Games, world championships, and Asia Pacific Championships.
Bester will be in action on the first day of the Games, facing India in lawn bowls, the only sport scheduled for Day 1. The lawn bowls competition in Glasgow will feature a new indoor format on an artificial surface, with a shortened game duration. Instead of games being won by the first to 21 points, they will consist of two seven-end sets with a one-end tiebreaker if necessary, reducing game time to approximately an hour. This format change is part of an effort to include bowls in the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane.
Kelly McKerihen, a 40-year-old from Toronto, also represents a strong medal prospect for Canada in women’s singles lawn bowls. McKerihen was the runner-up at the 2023 worlds and secured bronze medals in 2012 and 2016. She is participating in her fourth Commonwealth Games.
Canada’s track team, comprising 51 individuals, includes 25 Olympians who collectively hold 21 Olympic medals. Prominent athletes in this group include sprinters Andre De Grasse, Aaron Brown, Brendon Rodney, and Jerome Blake. Decathlete Damian Warner, hammer throwers Camryn Rogers and Ethan Katzberg, and shot putter Sarah Mitton are also part of the track team. Swimmers Kylie Masse and Josh Liendo, along with weightlifter Maude Charron, are also competing for Canada.
Opening ceremony and athlete perspectives
Kady Dandeneau, a 36-year-old from Pender Island, B.C., is a two-time Paralympian who won gold with Canada’s 3×3 wheelchair basketball team at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. She expressed that carrying the Canadian flag is an honour that is difficult to articulate, highlighting the special nature of representing Team Canada and the broader Canadian sport community. Dandeneau hopes her role will inspire young athletes, particularly those in adaptive sports, to believe in their potential.
Ryan Bester, who moved to Australia 20 years ago to pursue his sport, emphasized his pride in representing Canada. He stated that putting on the Maple Leaf remains very special to him. Bester also mentioned that the Commonwealth Games have played a significant role in his life and career, and being named Team Canada’s Baton Bearer for the Opening Ceremony is truly humbling. He looks forward to leading the team into the stadium alongside Dandeneau.
Canada has participated in every Commonwealth Games since hosting the inaugural event, then known as the British Empire Games, in Hamilton in 1930. In 2022, Canadian athletes secured 92 medals, including 26 gold, 32 silver, and 34 bronze, placing third behind Australia and England.
The lawn bowls competition will see Bester compete in a group that includes the Falkland Islands, Kenya, Malaysia, and Malta, needing to win his group to advance to the semi-finals. He anticipates challenging athletes like Australia’s Aaron (Disco) Wilson, a two-time defending Commonwealth Games champion, and Scotland’s Alex (Tattie) Marshall, a five-time gold medalist competing in his eighth Games, as well as competitors from England, Ireland, and Wales for medals. Bester and John Bezear of Kitchener, Ont., will team up in pairs play, while McKerihen will partner with Emma Boyd of Tsawwassen, B.C. Anne Hibberd of Calgary and Jean Stairs of Moncton will compete in pairs in the para bowls competition.
The Commonwealth Games are scheduled to run from Thursday through August 2.
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Source: theglobeandmail.com
