Team Canada Announces Women’s Olympic Roster
The Canadian Olympic Committee and Canada Basketball announced the 12-woman roster for the upcoming Olympic tournament in Rio this morning during an unveiling event at Ryerson University.
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The team is a combination of veterans and fresh talent, with Achonwa, Ayim, Gaucher, Murphy, Michelle Plouffe, Thorburn and Tatham all returning to the Olympic squad.
Fields, Langlois, Nurse, Katherine Plouffe and Raincock-Ekunwe will suit up for Canadian Olympic Team for the first time in their young careers.
“As an athlete there is no greater honour than to represent your country at the Olympic Games,” said Kim Gaucher. “To be able to hear your anthem with Canada across your chest sends chills down your spine. I am humbled to be a part of this team and we can’t wait to inspire and make our country proud. ”
The Canadian women went mining for gold in 2015, taking home two first-place finished at the Pan Am Games in Toronto, and the FIBA Americas Women’s Championship in Edmonton, the latter which sealed their spot in Rio.
The squad is coming off a European exhibition series, where they finished with a record of 4-1, and then moved onto a 3-0 record in a friendly tournament against China. A real test comes up for the team next week, when they head to the USA Basketball Showcase to take on Australia, France and the United States.
The women’s Olympic basketball tournament kicks off August 6th and will run to the 21st, with the preliminaries taking place at the Youth Arena in the Deodoro Olympic Park and the quarter final and medal games taking place at the Carioca Arena in the Barra Olympic Park.
