BC Wheelchair Sports Association (BCWSA)
780 SW Marine Drive V6P 5Y7 Vancouver, BC, Canada

BC Wheelchair Sports has made the difficult decision to cancel the 2021 Vancouver Invitational. Given the extension of the current COVID-19 related restrictions in BC to February 5th, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the event. Due to this tight timeline between any changes to the existing restrictions and the fact that most of the clubs are still not allowed to return to any form of group training, We’ve opted to cancel the event altogether since it is unlikely... that the government will allow teams to travel and gather around the province in early March. The safety of all tournament participants, volunteers, and attendees has and always will be among our top priorities. We hope to build upon the Vancouver Invitational’s reputation for exciting rugby, and an inviting and inclusive atmosphere when it returns in 2022! If you have any further questions about the decision to cancel this year’s tournament, please contact Tournament Chair Jackie Patatas by email at [email protected] http://www.wcrugby.com/bcwsa-cancels-the-2021-vancouver-in/

To our community and membership BC Wheelchair Sports continues to monitor the COVID-19 situation in BC and follow all public health orders. As we enter 2021, BC Wheelchair Sports remains at Level 2 of our Return to Sport Plan. Per the most recent BC Provincial Health Orders adult indoor and outdoor team sports for those aged 22 and over remains restricted. Group training is limited to a maximum two participants for indoor sports and four participants for outdoor sports incl...uding the coach. In both cases, participants must maintain a distance of 3 metres from one another unless everyone lives in the same private residence. Youth sports programs for those 21 and under are permitted to continue provided that physical distancing can be maintained and no competitions or tournaments take place. The travel restrictions from our previous update are still in effect, athletes may only travel to programs and/or training sessions at their home club. Home clubs are defined as the sports organization, club, or facility with, or at which, a participant is registered for ongoing sports programming. If you’re unsure about your home club, please contact the program staff responsible for your sport. Spectators continue to be restricted from all BC Wheelchair Sports programs and events. Please note though that volunteers do not count as spectators. This means that family members and/or support personnel who provide assistance vital to an athlete’s participation are still allowed to attend. BCWSA encourages all of our community to read and follow all public health orders around social interactions, gatherings, group physical activities and travel. We’re continuing to monitor releases from viaSport and the province on the health orders and their impact on sport. BCWSA will continue to provide updates as they become available. Updates will be published on our website, across our social media channels and in our newsletter. Please note, that BC Public Health Orders supersede any BC Wheelchair Sports Return to Sport policies. We know that this is a challenging and frustrating time for many and we appreciate the patience and understanding that our members and community continue to show us as we navigate the Return to Sport process. https://www.bcwheelchairsports.com//bc-wheelchair-sports-r

BCWSA sends out condolences to the family and friends of Barbara Montemurro who had an incredible impact on wheelchair sports in Canada.

WADA 2021 List of Prohibited Substances & Methods now in force! The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) reminds athletes and all other stakeholders that its 2021 List of Prohibited Substances and Methods (List) enters into force as of January 1st... https://www.iwrf.com/?page=iwrf_news&id=952

Our top highlight of the year was hosting the 2020 International Wheelchair Rugby Federation (IWRF) Paralympic Qualification Tournament at the Richmond Olympic Oval where Wheelchair Rugby Canada and France booked their tickets to Tokyo!

BC Wheelchair Sports Return to Sport Update - November 25 BC Wheelchair Sports continues to monitor the COVID-19 situation in BC and follow all public health orders. As per the most recent public health orders released on November 19, there are now increased restrictions on social gatherings, events and travel across the province.... As of this update, both Wheelchair Athletics and Wheelchair Tennis remain in Level 3 of our Return to Sport Plan. We encourage our members to reach out to their sport’s coordinator for more information on the status of their program. Travel is no longer restricted to an individual’s health authority so athletes from Surrey can now attend programs in Richmond or Vancouver and/or vice versa, but travel between regions is still prohibited. This means that athletes must attend the program in their region. BC Wheelchair Sports has defined our regions as follows: Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, Interior, and North. If you’re unsure about what region you or your program are a part of, please contact your sport’s coordinator. Spectators continue to be restricted from all BC Wheelchair Sports programs and events. Please note though that volunteers do not count as spectators. This means that family members and/or support who provide assistance vital to an athlete’s participation are still allowed to attend. BCWSA encourages all of our community to read and follow all public health orders around social interactions, gatherings, group physical activities, and travel. We’re continuing to seek further clarification from viaSport and the province on the provincial orders. We will continue to provide updates on our Return to Sport Plan on our website, across our social media channels and in our newsletter. We appreciate all of the support and patience we’ve received from the community as we continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on sport. https://www.bcwheelchairsports.com//bc-wheelchair-sports-r

Our #2 highlight of the year was having a number of our talented junior wheelchair tennis players compete at the Wheelchair Tennis Global Challenge in Califonia in January! Thanks to B-Adaptive Foundation for putting on another great event!

#GivingTuesday is 2 weeks away! We'll be sharing success stories and encouraging you to give the gift of sport and help us get people with disabilities active and engaged in sport.

We're grateful for the support of Canadian Tire Jumpstart and the Jumpstart Sport Relief Fund to help us persevere through the pandemic and come back even stronger!

Do you want to learn more about COVID-19 and the Spinal Cord Injury Community? Join our friends at Spinal Cord Injury BC and Dr K tonight at 7 to learn about the current research.

We've received further clarification and updates from viaSport BC and on what the new Provincial Health Order means for sport. A key change from Monday's update is that the order states that: No person may travel to or from the affected area or between the regions of the Fraser Health Authority and the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority for any sport-related activity, including practice, training, games or tournaments unless they are an identified by Canadian Sports Institut...e Pacific as a high-performance athlete affiliated with an accredited provincial or national sports organization and are already training in the affected area and subject to the safety guidelines of their provincial sports organization. This means that no athlete may attend a sport program outside of the health authority in which they live. As an example, an athlete from Surrey is not permitted to travel to Richmond for practice and vice versa. To learn more about what the order means for your sport, read our full update at the link below or contact your sport's coordinator

Did you miss the newest Bridges of Belonging with our Executive Director, Gail Hamamoto? You can now watch the full episode online and on-demand at the link below. Thanks to INclusion INcorporated for highlighting Gail and the work that we do at BC Wheelchair Sports to make sport accessible and inclusive in BC! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJxJWGEUAHA