Rio Kanda Kovac

Started: He was introduced to the sport at age 12. He began competing in Chiba, Japan. (gofundme.com, 01 Jan 2024; wheelchairrugby.ca, 23 Nov 2023) Reason: He discovered wheelchair rugby while watching TV during the 2015 Parapan American Games in Toronto, ON, Canada. "When I first saw Team Canada play in the Pan American Games in 2015 in Toronto with my family, I was truly inspired. I started living with my dad in Tokyo when I was just 14 years old in the spring of 2016, and in that summer, we purchased our first wheelchair rugby chair. I started to compete as part of a team in Chiba, Japan, and founded the first wheelchair rugby team based in Tokyo called the Tokyo Arrows." (gofundme.com, 01 Jan 2024; wheelchairrugby.ca, 23 Nov 2023; parasportontario.ca, 01 May 2021) Ambition: To compete at the Paralympic Games. (wheelchairrugby.ca, 23 Nov 2023) Additional Info: OTHER ACTIVITIES He has served as an ambassador for Cheelcare, a mobility company specialising in wheelchairs. (paralympic.ca, 23 Nov 2023)