Ottawa, October 3, 2023 – A team of five Para table tennis athletes have been nominated to compete for Canada at the Santiago 2023 Parapan Am Games, the Canadian Paralympic Committee and Table Tennis Canada announced Tuesday.
Santiago 2023 Canadian Parapan Am Team – PARA TABLE TENNIS
- Stephanie Chan – Vancouver, BC – Class 7 (classification)
- Asad Hussain Syed – Toronto, ON – Class 9
- Ian Kent – Eastern Passage, NS – Class 8
- Peter Isherwood – Vancouver, BC – Class 2
- Muhammad Mudassar – Brampton, ON – Class 4
Stephanie Chan, Ian Kent, and Peter Isherwood are all returning from the Lima 2019 Parapan Am team, where veterans Chan and Kent came home with bronze medals in singles play in their respective categories.
This will be Chan’s fifth Parapan Am Games, at the age of 66. Canada’s Opening Ceremony flag bearer for the Lima 2019 edition, Chan is also a Rio 2016 Paralympian, where she finished fourth. She has five Parapan Am medals, including a gold won on home soil at Toronto 2015, a performance that qualified her for the 2016 Paralympic Games. She is currently world No. 12 in her classification.
“I am very excited to be able to compete at a Parapan Am Games again,” said Chan. “Age is just a number, and I will keep going. If I can do it, you can do it too.”
Kent, No. 62 in the world in the men’s Class 8 category, is also set for his fifth Parapan Am appearance, and enters Santiago with seven podiums to his name. For his part, Isherwood made his multi-sport Games debut at the Lima 2019 Parapan Am Games. He is No. 47 in the men’s wheelchair Class 2.
“It’s always an honour to represent Canada on the international stage,” said Isherwood. “I look forward to capitalizing on the last four years of training and competition to improve on my results from Lima.”
Muhammad Mudassar and Asad Hussain Syed are both making their return to Parapan Am competition after first debuting in Toronto eight years ago. Mudassar is currently ranked world No. 62 in his category while Syed is No. 44.
Para table tennis will be the first sport in competition in Santiago, kicking off the day before the Opening Ceremony. Play will take place November 16-20. The winners of the singles tournament in each category will directly qualify for next summer’s Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
All five athletes are set for the singles tournaments. Isherwood and Mudassar will also team up in men’s wheelchair doubles, Kent and Syed will be a pair for men’s standing doubles, and Chan and Syed will compete together in mixed standing doubles.
“I am thrilled to welcome all five Para table tennis athletes to the Canadian Parapan Am Team,” said Josh Vander Vies, co-chef de mission of the Santiago 2023 Canadian Parapan Am Team. “This is a talented group with a lot of Parapan Am experience and success to their names. I know they will bring their best to the competition, and look forward to watching it all unfold.”
“Congratulations to each Para table tennis athlete nominated for the Santiago Games,” said Karolina Wisniewska, co-chef de mission. “Para table tennis will definitely offer up a lot of exciting action at the Games, with our Canadian athletes right in the thick of it. We wish them all the best of luck in Santiago, and will be cheering them on!”
The Santiago 2023 Parapan Am Games will take place November 17-26, 2023 in Santiago, Chile. Canada is expecting to send a team of approximately 140 athletes.
Prior to being officially named to the Canadian Parapan Am Team, all nominations are subject to approval by the Canadian Paralympic Committee.
The current list of athletes nominated to the team can be found HERE. The approved final roster will be announced closer to the start of the Games.
About the Canadian Paralympic Committee: Paralympic.ca
About Table Tennis Canada: TTCanada.ca
