Water Polo Canada announces Women's and Men's National Teams for the 2023 World Aquatics Championships

Ottawa, June 28, 2023 - Water Polo Canada announced today the 15 women and 14 men that have been selected to represent the country at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships, to be held July 14-30 in Fukuoka, Japan, which are the first opportunity to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The 29 athletes are part of Water Polo Canada National Teams centralization program at the Institut national du sport du Québec in Montréal.

On the women’s side at this time, the team includes seven players who have Olympic experience after representing Canada at the Tokyo 2020 Games: Axelle Crevier, Shae Laroche, Elyse Lemay Lavoie, Hayley McKelvey, Kindred Paul, Clara Vulpisi (G) and Emma Wright. They will be joined by Verica Bakoc, Serena Browne, Floranne Carroll, Jessica Gaudreault (G), Daphné Guèvremont, Rachael Jaffe (G), Blaire McDowell and Marilia Eleni Mimides.

Rae Lekness and Cara Robinson will also travel with the team for training camp and will serve as alternates should a replacement be needed before the start of competition.

On the men’s side, nine of the 11 players who were selected for the Lima 2019 Pan American Games will be in Japan in July: Nicolas Constantin-Bicari, Jérémie Côté, Bogdan Djerkovic, Reuel D’Souza, Aleksa Gardijan, Matthew Halajian, Gaelan Patterson, Milan Radenovic (G) and Aria Soleimanipak. Jérémie Blanchard, Nikos Gerakoudis, Leo Hachem, David Lapins and Brody McNight (G) will also be part of the team.

Hélène Painchaud from Montreal, QC, will also attend the 2023 World Aquatics Championships as a referee.

“These 2023 World Aquatics Championships represent the first step in the Olympic qualification process, and in our pursuit of spots for our teams in Paris 2024”, said Water Polo Canada’s High Performance Director, Olivier Pineau. “With our teams having recently centralized again, this will be a great opportunity to implement our tactics in such a high-level competitive environment, as we plan for continued improvement through the entire period leading up to Paris. We’re very excited for this challenge, and to see our teams in action on the world stage again."

Qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games
To be among the 10 teams in the women’s tournament or the 12 teams in the men’s tournament that qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the Water Polo Canada Women’s and Men’s National Teams will need to, over the upcoming year:

1. Reach the final at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships;
2. Or win gold at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games, or the silver medal if another country from the Americas reaches the final at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships;
3. Or finish among the top two teams on the women’s side, or the top four teams on the men’s side, at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar, February 2-18, among those that have not already qualified for the Olympic Games.

Water Polo Canada Women’s National Team for the 2023 World Aquatics Championships
BAKOC, Verica (Toronto, ON)
BROWNE, Serena (Pointe-Claire, QC)
CARROLL, Floranne (Montréal, QC)
CREVIER, Axelle (Montréal, QC)
GAUDREAULT, Jessica (Ottawa, ON)
GUÈVREMONT, Daphné (Montréal, QC)
JAFFE, Rachael (Toronto, ON)
LAROCHE, Shae (Winnipeg, MB)
LEMAY-LAVOIE, Elyse (Montréal, QC)
MCDOWELL, Blaire (Fernie, B.C.)
McKELVEY, Hayley (North Delta, B.C.)
MIMIDES, Maria Eleni (Marilia) (Glyfada, GRE, & Toronto)
PAUL, Kindred (Spruce Grove, AB)
VULPISI, Clara (Montréal, QC)
WRIGHT, Emma (Whitby, ON)

Support Staff
Head Coach: David Paradelo
Assistant Coaches: Cora Campbell & Stefano Posterivo
Massage Therapist: Manon Prieur
Physiotherapist: Brian Li
Strength and Conditioning Coach (for the training camps): Nicolas Bourrel
Video Coach: Ethan D’Souza
Sport Scientist (in Japan): Lily Dong
Team Leader: Mitch Kaufman
High Performance Director: Olivier Pineau

More information regarding the female athletes is available on Water Polo Canada’s website at https://waterpolo.ca/content/senior-womens-national-team.

Water Polo Canada Men’s National Team for the 2023 World Aquatics Championships
BLANCHARD, Jérémie (Longueuil, QC)
CONSTANTIN-BICARI, Nicolas (Repentigny, QC)
CÔTÉ, Jérémie (Pointe-Claire, QC)
DJERKOVIC, Bogdan (Ottawa, ON)
D'SOUZA, Reuel (Port Coquitlam, B.C.)
GARDIJAN, Aleksa (Gatineau, QC)
GERAKOUDIS, Nikos (Montréal, QC)
HACHEM, Leo (Montréal, QC)
HALAJIAN, Matthew (Calgary, AB)
LAPINS, David (Gatineau, QC)
MCKNIGHT, Brody (Regina, SK)
PATTERSON, Gaelan (North Vancouver, B.C.)
RADENOVIC, Milan (Montréal, QC)
SOLEIMANIPAK, Aria (Montréal, QC)

Support Staff
Head Coach: Pat Oaten
Assistant Coach: Gyula Toth
Athletic Therapist: Sunny Marshall
Team Leader: Mitch Kaufman
High Performance Director: Olivier Pineau

More information regarding the male athletes is available on Water Polo Canada’s website at https://waterpolo.ca/content/senior-mens-national-team.