The London, Ont. native will be on Team Ontario’s bench for Junior Nationals in June
For Josh Davies, the Canada Games experience has been transformative — both on the court and in his personal journey.
As an athlete, Davies competed in two Canada Games representing his home province of Ontario. Now on the bench, he’s preparing for his third appearance with Team O as part of the coaching staff at the 2027 Canada Winter Games in Quebec City.
Davies captured a silver medal with Team Ontario at the 2011 Games in Halifax, N.S., and finished fifth at the 2015 Games in Prince George, B.C. It was during that 2015 Games cycle that he also met his now-wife, Emilie.
“Looking back at the Canada Games, I’d give it a lot of credit for what it taught me as far as independence and responsibility,” said Davies. “My appreciation for the Canada Games program is really the friendships that I built. I met my wife through that program, so that’s huge. The friendships, life skills and the coaches and mentors that were working with me as I went through that program — that’s what I’m so grateful for with the Canada Games program.”
Born and raised in London, Ont., Davies was first introduced to parasport through sledge hockey, where a teammate encouraged him to give wheelchair basketball a try.
He discovered the sport at the Thames Valley Children’s Centre before joining the London Forest City Flyers junior program, helping the team earn three podium finishes at the Ontario Parasport Games between 2008 and 2012.
In 2013, Davies was named an alternate for Canada’s men’s Under-23 team and travelled to Belgium for a national team camp and competition.
“It started with the Ontario program, the Canada Games program, then I got invited to some camps with the Junior National program,” Davies said, reflecting on his playing career. “It did work as a great graduated system moving up through the Ontario provincial programs to the National Team programs.”
After aging out of the Canada Games program, Davies quickly shifted his focus to coaching.
The 32-year-old credits longtime wheelchair basketball coach and Wheelchair Basketball Canada Hall of Famer Paul Bowes for guiding that transition — even while Davies was still playing with the Forest City Flyers.
“He really kind of encouraged and supported the idea that I should be a mentor to the younger players coming up,” Davies said. “I started coaching with him just at the local level in London and enjoyed that quite a bit.
“That was a defining moment in my decision-making. I have so much appreciation and love for the Canada Games program and what it did for my life. I wanted to continue to be a part of it and help provide that experience for the next generation.”
Davies made his Canada Games coaching debut in 2019, serving as an assistant alongside Kathy Ludwig and helping guide Ontario to a silver medal in Red Deer, Alta.
He reunited with Ludwig in 2023, when Team O placed seventh in Charlottetown, P.E.I.
“I’ve learned lots from Kathy,” he said. “Her coaching philosophies, what she does to help the program and help the athletes grow and learn all these life skills and how she breaks down the fundamentals of the game from Year 1 to Year 4.
“Sometimes you show up in the gym in Year 1, and you wonder how it’s all going to come together, and then by the time you get to Year 4, the change is so amazing to see.”
Now based in Ottawa, where he coaches the Ottawa Royals through the Ottawa-Carleton Wheelchair Sports Association, Davies could see as many as five athletes from his club team earn spots on Team Ontario’s roster for the 2027 Canada Games.
The next milestone for his squad is Junior Nationals in June, set for the host region of Quebec City and serving as the seeding event for next February’s Canada Winter Games.
“That’s something I’m very proud of,” Davies said. “They’re all working very hard; they’re submitting all their required training every week, and they’re getting ready for Junior Nationals. You know, just excited to see them compete there.”
Off the court, Davies graduated from Western University with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology before earning a master’s in biomechanics from Queen’s University. He now works as a wellness specialist at Amazon.
In his downtime, he retreats to the family cottage in Muskoka, where he enjoys canoeing and kayaking — passions passed down from his father, a former competitive white-water kayaker.