Montreal World Boccia Cup at the Défi sportif AlterGo

The 40th edition of the Défi sportif AlterGo is underway with athletes from 26 countries. Among the many events and dozens of disciplines, the Montreal World Boccia Cup is taking place at the Maurice-Richard Arena.

“The world cup in Montreal is really great for me because its my home country. I’m so proud to represent my country, here on Canadian soil,” said Alison Levine who is ranked 3rd in the world in her category and competes for Team Canada.

“Boccia is an incredible sport, it’s really beautiful, it’s intricate. It takes concentration, it takes precision, it takes fast decision making and it’s really incredible to watch,” she adds.

“It’s a big event. It would almost be considered in other sports like a grand slam just below the paralympics and the world championships,” said Peter Leyser, executive director, Boccia Canada, adding, “So we have 104 athletes competing from 26 different countries. It’s the first time we’ve been back since 2019 due to Covid, so it’s a huge event, it’s very very popular.”

Like Alison, many of these athletes have already competed at the Paralympics. Fourty-eight at this event are ranked in the top 12 in the world in the various classifications. To be an elite athlete at this sport requires certain skills and qualities.

“It takes an incredible amount of will power and mental strength and just a ton of work ethic. I mean just the amount of hours that athletes have to put in to have the accuracy. You know, games are won and lost by millimeters literally,” said Nick Taylor who competes for Team United States.

While all these athletes are here to perform their best, Boccia is more than just about winning. “I have the opportunity to compete and to meet new persons of all countries of the world. And it’s an opportunity to develop other skills like concentration,” said Ana Correia from Team Portugal.

Danik Allard, from Team Canada, adds, “I love the sport because I have the chance to be myself and to perform like I need, like I want, like I love.”

Boccia is just one of nine disciplines within the Défi sportif AlterGo. “More than 7,000 elite and up-and-coming athletes of all functional limitations will push their limits everyday!” say Défi organizers. They invite the public to go cheer them on during the multiple free competitions taking place all over the city until April 30 – with a unique exhibition at Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard, retracing the history of the Défi and highlighting the exceptional athletes who have taken part.

“Since its creation in 1984 by Monique Lefebvre, the Défi sportif AlterGo has never stopped innovating in order to allow more and more athletes to push their limits each year. For the 40th edition, the event honours five ambassador athletes. They are boccia player Marylou Martineau, wheelchair basketball player Theodore Gallant, parahockey player Saoud Messaoudi, school athlete Emy Poirier and recently retired paracyclist Marie-Claude Molnar.”

#WATCH: The 40th edition of the Défi sportif AlterGo is underway with more than 7,000 athletes from 15 countries with multiple events like the Montreal World Boccia Cup.

READ: https://t.co/GyasKInQ6H⁰ @Gareth_MJ @Defi_sportif pic.twitter.com/08Qvp1XkFS

— CityNews Montreal (@CityNewsMTL) April 27, 2023