Wheelchair Basketball Canada has announced the list of 12 athletes named to the 2015 Canadian Senior Women’s National Wheelchair Basketball Team.

The lost will be nominated to the Canadian Paralympic Committee to compete on home soil at August’s Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games, where the team will vie for a top three finish in order to qualify for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

The roster features 10 returning players from the team that captured the gold medal at the 2014 International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) Women’s World Championship in Toronto. Seven players have also represented Canada at the Paralympic Games.

“We are very excited with the group of athletes we have selected and feel we have a great dynamic within the team,” said Team Canada Head Coach Bill Johnson. “Building off the momentum of winning the world championship in 2014, we are ready to embrace the challenge of competing at the Toronto 2015 Parapan Am Games and achieving our ultimate goal of qualifying for Rio 2016.”

“Building off the momentum of winning the world championship in 2014, we are ready to embrace the challenge of competing at the Toronto 2015 Parapan Am Games and achieving our ultimate goal of qualifying for Rio 2016."

The athletes selected to the team are (* athletes with Paralympic Games experience):

• Arinn Young

• Cindy Ouellet *

• Darda Sales

• Elaine Allard *

• Erica Gavel

• Jamey Jewells *

• Janet McLachlan *

• Katie Harnock *

• Maude Jacques *

• Melanie Hawtin

• Rosalie Lalonde

• Tracey Ferguson *

Head Coach: Bill Johnson

Assistant Coach: Michael Broughton

Assistant Coach: Michele Hynes

Team Manager: Katie Miyazaki

The Canadian women will next compete at an international friendly tournament from 11-14 February 2015 in Osaka, Japan as they make final preparations on the road to the Toronto 2015 Parapan Am Games.

The Parapan American Games run 7-15 August 2015 in Toronto, Canada and the wheelchair basketball competition will take place at the Ryerson Athletic Centre.