A Winning Atmosphere Setting Canada’s Boxing Team Up for Success

Spend any time with Canada’s boxing team for the 2022 Commonwealth Games and you will see that they are a close-knit group, that are supportive, fun loving and confident. While they are a young team, with four of the six members making their multi-sport games debut, the atmosphere has allowed everyone to get in the right mindset prior to competition.

“I think the atmosphere is very important for the team. We need to work as a team and push one another,” said head coach Samir El-Mais. “It is an individual sport, but we can be there for each other and strive for more. The mood and atmosphere are important in keeping the athletes focused on their goals. Right now, there are lots of distractions but the connection we have is dialing everyone in. When the competition starts, we will be focused on each boxer’s goals. Having a young team, it is important for them to enjoy themselves and everything the Commonwealth Games gives them to get better and understand what to expect in the future. I can tell everyone is sharp because they are putting everything into this, so I feel very confident going into the competition.” 

The team clearly feeds off their coach’s energy.

“The team’s atmosphere has been really good,” said Winnipeg’s Priyanka Dhillon, who will compete in the women's 48kg weight class. “I really wanted to focus on enjoying the process of being here, not just the boxing, it obviously is the main goal, but I want to take in the experience of being here.”

“We are close,” added Montreal’s Keoma-Ali Al-Ahmadieh, who will compete in the men’s 57kg weight class. “This is my third tournament with the team and at each one, we get closer.”

“We all understand we need to have fun too. Yes, it is a hard sport and yes, we need to win, but we like to have fun. When it is time to train, we are very serious,” said Montreal’s Keven Beausejour, who will compete at 80kg. “We all support each other and help each other work harder.”

While they are enjoying the experience the team does remain focused on what competing at these Games means.

“Competing here means everything. I am representing my country, but it is also all my hard work paying off,” said Al-Ahmadieh. “I envisioned this as a step in my career. I have goals of turning pro and becoming world champion. While I am happy, this was something I expected of myself.”

“It is a huge honour to be competing here,” added Dhillon. “I am from Manitoba and recently found out there are only four of us here at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, so it is huge, and I don’t take it lightly.”

“It is a big tournament and a moment for me to prove myself. I want to be a professional boxer so competing at the Commonwealth Games looks really good on my resume,” said Beausejour.

Thanks to the supportive team atmosphere, the team members are hitting their stride and it all has them believing in themselves and their abilities.

“The goal for me for the competition is the gold medal, nothing else,” said Beausejour.

“Gold, only gold!” added Al-Ahmadieh.

With the strong team environment, all those goals and more may very well be achievable.

Catch all of the boxing action at the Commonwealth Games beginning July 29^th. Visit the Commonwealth Games 2022 boxing site for schedule, results and more content.