Canada part of history as Commonwealth Championships bring water polo back to its birthplace

Canada part of history as Commonwealth Championships bring water polo back to its birthplace

(OTTAWA, April 3, 2014) – Thirteen young Canadian athletes are travelling this week to the birthplace of water polo, Scotland, in order to take part in the 2014 Commonwealth Water Polo Championships held in Aberdeen from April 5-12, 2014.

These Championships are described as a celebration of homecoming for water polo, the sport which originated in the lakes and rivers of Scotland in the late 19th century. Eight nations are set to compete over the week-long event, including seven men’s and five women’s teams. Canada will be represented in the women’s portion of the tournament and will face adversaries from Scotland, England, Wales and South Africa.

Team Canada includes athletes from six (6) different provinces. Quebec is represented by four (4) athletes, including sisters Axelle and Roxane Crevier, along with fellow CAMO member Molly Demers and Kelly Matthews from Dollard-des-Ormeaux. Saskatchewan, the home province of head coach Cyril Dorgigné is well represented at the event with a trio of players including Kelsey Jensen, Amy Yule and Auriel Bill. Ontario is contributing players Emma Wright and Nikolina Mihajlovik, both members of the York Mavericks club. The Canadian roster is completed by Kyra Christmas, from Calgary, AB, Claire Bredin, from Winnipeg, MB and by British Columbians Virginia Smith and Hayley McKelvey, who train respectively with the Fraser Valley and Pacific Storm clubs. Other members of the Canadian delegation are assistant coach Celso Rojas and team manager Sam Sinnott.

“We are all incredibly honored and excited to be part of these Commonwealth Championships,” said Canadian head coach Dorgigné. “Our group of women is coming together for the first time at this event but we are confident that, with all the individual talent involved, we can work hard and turn out to be a high-achieving team. First and foremost, we are all competitors and are focused on our ultimate goal of winning the tournament,” he said.
The event has been gaining significant local momentum in Scotland with several of the matches already sold out, including Canada’s tournament opener in the preliminary round, versus the Scottish home team. “There will incredible atmosphere at our first game in these Championships,” said Dorgigné. “We could not hope for a better introduction in the tournament,” he said.

Canada’s first game is scheduled for Sunday, April 6 at 2:30 p.m. (BST) and will be followed by three more matches in the preliminaries. Based on the rankings attained, the five participating female squads will then enter a playoff round on April 11 and 12 in order to claim the Championship.

These Championships follow similar events previously held in Manchester in 2002 and in Perth, Australia, in 2006. They are part of a concerted effort aimed at gaining entry for the sport into future Commonwealth Games. By holding this water polo event in Scotland a few months ahead of the start of the official Commonwealth Games, the international water polo community is hoping to convince event organizers of the Games of the serious interest of numerous Commonwealth nations in having water polo added to the regular program.

Such an addition would be beneficial for the development of water polo worldwide, since the Commonwealth Games is a major international multi-sport event, involving 70 teams of athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The Games were first held in 1930 and take place every four years. The 2014 edition will be held in Glasgow, Scotland, from July 23 to August 3, 2014.

Canada at the Commonwealth Water Polo Championships

Preliminary round:
Canada vs Scotland on Sunday, April 6 at 2:30 p.m. (BST)
Canada vs Wales on Tuesday, April 8 at 5:30 p.m. (BST)
Canada vs South Africa on Wednesday, April 9 at 1:30 p.m. (BST)
Canada vs England on Thursday, April 10 at 5:30 p.m. (BST)

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Official event information

See full event information on the Scottish Swimming Web Site.
http://www.scottishswimming.com/compete/water-polo/cwpc2014.aspx

Complete schedule
http://www.scottishswimming.com/compete/water-polo/cwpc2014/schedule.aspx

Live coverage
http://www.scottishswimming.com/compete/water-polo/cwpc2014/live-coverage.aspx

For further information and interview requests, please contact:
Pascale Beaudoin
Water Polo Canada Communications
(514) 758-7472
pbeaudoin@waterpolo.ca

About Water Polo Canada
Water Polo Canada is the National Sport Federation and governing body for the sport of water polo in Canada. It manages the National and Olympic Teams as well as the domestic development plan. www.waterpolo.ca