Ottawa, ON (August 14, 2026) – Boccia Canada athletes Joe Philpott, Fatima Abderrahmane and Alexandre Lemaire reached new milestones on the international stage at the Poznań 2026 World Boccia Challenger in Poland, held from August 3–11.

Competing at his first World Boccia Challenger, Philpott (St. John’s, NL) captured the bronze medal in the men’s BC1 individual event. After posting a 1–1 record in pool play, Philpott defeated Greece’s Panagiotis Soularis 4–3 in the quarterfinals to advance to the medal rounds.

Following a semifinal loss to Great Britain’s Alex Medley, Philpott responded in the bronze-medal match with a 4–1 victory over Belgium’s Sander Leenknecht, securing a place on the podium in his Challenger debut.

Fatima Abderrahmane (Montréal, QC) also reached an important milestone in Poznań, earning her first win at a senior international competition. Abderrahmane advanced to the quarterfinals of the women’s BC3 individual event and finished fifth overall, marking another step forward in her development on the international stage.

Abderrahmane and Alexandre Lemaire (Kingsey Falls, QC) continued to build momentum in the BC3 pairs event, earning their first international victory together as a pair. The duo advanced to the medal rounds for the first time together and ultimately finished fourth overall.

The results in Poznań provided all three Canadian athletes with valuable international experience and marked several important milestones, including a first Challenger medal, a first senior international victory and a first appearance in the BC3 pairs medal rounds.

For more information about Boccia Canada National Team athletes, visit the Boccia Canada website.

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About the Boccia Canada

Boccia Canada is the boccia delivery arm of the Canadian Cerebral Palsy Sports Association (CCPSA), the National Sport Organization for the Paralympic sport of boccia. Boccia Canada is focused on providing athletes and individuals of all ages and skill with the chance to play a unique Paralympic sport. We lead, develop and grow boccia from grassroots to producing World Champions, and we collaborate with partners to increase participation of Canadians with physical disabilities in sport.

About boccia

Boccia is a Paralympic sport of precision and strategy similar to lawn bowling or curling, played by athletes with Cerebral Palsy, Muscular Dystrophy and related disabilities. It is one of only two Paralympic sports that do not have an Olympic counterpart. Athletes compete in one of six sport classes based on their level and type of disability: BC1, BC2, BC3, BC4, BC5, and Open.

Media Contacts

Katie Hughes 

Boccia Canada

[email protected]