CANADA LOOKING FORWARD TO SHOWCASING ITS BEACH VOLLEYBALL TALENT AT THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES
OTTAWA – Canada’s beach volleyball teams are ready to showcase the sport for the first time at the Commonwealth Games, April 6 to 12, 2018 at Queen Elizabeth Park, Coolangatta, Australia’s Gold Coast’s southernmost suburb.
“We are very excited to bring four of our top beach athletes to the Gold Coast as part of Canada’s Commonwealth Games team,” said Steve Anderson, “Coolangatta will be a great setting for the first-ever beach tournament of the Games, and we’re looking forward to making Canada proud and contributing to the team’s podium successes.”
Volleyball Canada has nominated the following athletes:
Women’s Team
- Melissa Humana-Paredes, Toronto, Ontario
- Sarah Pavan, Kitchener, Ontario
- Coaching staff on site: Steve Anderson
Men’s Team
- Sam Schachter, Richmond Hill, Ontario
- Sam Pedlow, Barrie, Ontario
- Coaching staff on site: Ahren Cadieux
Humana-Paredes and Pavan, currently ranked the number one women’s team on the FIVB Beach World Tour, are looking forward to being part of the first Commonwealth Games beach volleyball tournament.
“We are both so honoured and excited to be representing Canada in such a prestigious tournament,” said Humana-Paredes, who teamed up with Pavan, a 2016 Olympian, in 2017. “It’s rare to be able to participate in multi-sport games so when we get an opportunity, we jump on it! There’s something a little bit magical of being a part of something bigger and to share it with other Canadian athletes is special. We also know Australia is going to do an awesome job with the beach volleyball event so we can’t wait to get down there!”
Schachter and Pedlow also made their debut as a team on the World Tour in 2017.
“We are honoured to be participating in the Commonwealth Games representing our country,” explained Schachter, who represented Canada at the 2015 Pan Am Games and 2016 Olympic Summer Games with Josh Binstock. “It is especially exciting to be involved in a multi-sport game where beach volleyball is included for the first time. We are excited to share our sport with the world and hopefully prove that beach volleyball belongs in such an illustrious event.”
Pedlow is equally thrilled to be part of the tournament in Gold Coast: “We are very excited to be the first ever men’s team to represent Canada at the Commonwealth Games. We are looking to build off a very successful 2017 in our first major games as a pair! The opportunity to participate in a major games before the Olympics (in 2020) is of great value. It gives our team a chance to test our systems in a brand new environment…. We know going into this event that by playing our game, we have a strong shot at a podium finish. The goal now is that the Canadian flag is raised as the victor.”
"We are delighted to congratulate our beach volleyball athletes, who will be competing in this sport's inaugural Commonwealth Games appearance," said Canada’s Commonwealth Games Chef de Mission Claire Carver-Dias. "Canada is a world beach volleyball powerhouse, and I look forward to great competition from these two duos on the court.”
The medal matches for the tournament will be held on April 12. The full Gold Coast beach volleyball schedule can be found here:
https://www.gc2018.com/sport/beach-volleyball
All matches will be live streamed live on DAZN.com – the exclusive rights holder for Canada at Gold Coast 2018.
For further information:
Commonwealth Games Canada
Sylvie Bigras
Communications Chief – Team Canada 2018
613.298.1625
Volleyball Canada
Jackie Skender
Director, Communications
613.794.7676
ABOUT COMMONWEALTH GAMES CANADA
Commonwealth Games Canada (CGC) is the international franchise holder for the Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth movement in Canada, and an active, contributing member of the Canadian sport community. The mission of CGC is to strengthen sport within Canada and throughout the Commonwealth by participating in the Commonwealth Games and by using sport as a development tool. Visit www.commonwealthgames.ca for information.
ABOUT VOLLEYBALL CANADA
Volleyball Canada is the National Sport Organization for volleyball, and has approximately 64,000 registered participants. Volleyball Canada fosters the growth and development of the sport in Canada, and oversees the national programs for indoor, beach and sitting volleyball. For more information, see www.volleyball.ca
