(Richmond, BC) –For the first time in the event’s 15-year history, BC has won the Vancouver Invitational Wheelchair Rugby Tournament. In front of a packed crowd Sunday afternoon at the Richmond Olympic Oval, BC claimed a 56-53 victory over the Ontario Thunder.

“We lost to the Thunder by 15 points in the round-robins, so it’s great to be able to come back and play the kind of wheelchair rugby we’re capable of playing,” said BC Head Coach Adam Frost. “I’m glad we’ve finally broken the 15-year curse and won Vancouver Invitational.”

BC had to rely on both mental and physical toughness to even make it to the gold medal game. After a key player was injured, BC lost 51-34 to Ontario. In the semi-finals, they overcame a three-point deficit thanks to steals from Ian Chan and scored the winning goal with less than a second on the clock.

For his incredible leadership effort, Richmond’s Ian Chan was named tournament MVP.

“Ian had an outstanding tournament. His court sense and his ability to force turnovers is second to none,” said Frost.

Chan was not the only British Columbian honoured with an All Star Award. Duncan Campbell, who invented wheelchair rugby 37 years ago and still plays today, was named Most Clutch.

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For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact:

Arley McNeney
Communications Manager
BC Wheelchair Sports Association
Cell: 778-788-9091
Email: arley@bcwheelchairsports.com