(Ottawa, Ont.) Wheelchair Basketball Canada is pleased to congratulate Paralympian Erica Gavel on her election as vice-chair of the Canadian Paralympic Athletes’ Council.
The native of Prince Albert, Sask., was selected for the role by her fellow council members on Friday and is currently serving her second term on the CPC Athletes’ Council.
“I am elated to be selected as vice-chair of the CPC Athletes’ Council,” said Gavel. “Over the last couple of years, we have made tremendous progress regarding athlete involvement, terms of reference, and impact within CPC and respective stakeholders. I thank my fellow council members in selecting me as vice-chair and I can’t wait to make a continued impact within Paralympic sport in Canada, but also internationally.”
https://twitter.com/EricaGavel/status/1355227353807392768
A member of the Canadian Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team since 2014, Gavel represented Canada at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. She most recently helped Team Canada to a gold medal last year at the Parapan Am Games, which qualified Canada for the Paralympic Games in Tokyo.
A PhD student and avid researcher, Gavel is also a member of the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) Athlete Steering Committee as the representative for the Americas zone.
Gavel was elected to her second term on the council in December alongside Ina Forrest (wheelchair curling) and Mike Whitehead (wheelchair rugby), joining incumbent members Rob Armstrong (Para ice hockey), Jennifer Brown (Para athletics) and Alison Levine (boccia). She now joins chair Tony Walby (Para judo) in a leadership role.
“Erica is a dedicated, passionate, and valuable voice within the Paralympic Movement in Canada and her role as a leader has definitely increased over the past few years,” said Walby. “She will make a superb vice-chair, and I am excited to work side-by-side with her, as well as the other members of the council.”
The Canadian Paralympic Athletes’ Council is an elected group of current and retired Paralympians who serve as the collective voice of the athletes. For more information on the Athletes’ Council, please visit paralympic.ca/athletes-council.