Around 100 people gathered in the Canada Games Plaza this morning (Friday) to celebrate Joel Ewert as he departs for the Paralympics in Paris.
Ewert will be representing Prince George and Canada on the wheelchair rugby team during the games, which start on August 28th.
“The Paralympics is a dream come true for me, something I have been working towards for a long time,” Ewert told My PG Now at the gathering.
He said the crowd gathered to celebrate his achievement “put into perspective how much people had to support me to get to this moment. I feel really fortunate to have all these people and this city behind me.”
Ewert has been playing wheelchair rugby for the last nine years.
“I have been a part of the national team program since around 2019,” he explained. “Even though you are part of the program, that is kind of the long list. I have gone from there to the top 12 in the last 13 months.”
“If you were to ask me the odds that I would be heading off to my first Paralympics last June, I would have told you three percent,” he added. “It has been a whirlwind, you are always waiting for that opportunity.”
Ewert leaves Prince George for France tomorrow morning (though he said he has not packed yet) where he will meet with his team from the 18th – 23rd. They will move in to the Olympic Village on August 24th.
“It will be a pretty busy two weeks, but you work your whole life for this. Just have to take it in stride,” he said.
Bonita and Jim, Joel’s parents, and his brother Carl will all be traveling to Paris a few days in advance to watch the games.
“We are very proud of him,” an emotional Bonita said. “We always say that it takes a village, and the village has come out to support him.”
“We are extremely proud, he has put a lot of work into it and I am glad to see its paying off for him,” Jim said.
“When he first started [wheelchair rugby] he was the youngest in the group,” Jim recalled. “He was 13, most of the people were 25 and up. We were kind of hesitant, but the first day he went to practice he embraced the group.”
“As a kid growing up with a disability, it is tough to do a lot of things without a supportive family,” Joel said. “They have always had my back. Driving me around places, my brother always included me in different sporting events… having that group around me to help me overcome some of the barriers you face as a person with a disability leads to you thinking you can do anything.”
Aside from the games themselves, Joel said spending time with his teammates in France is what he is looking forward to the most.
“Rugby is a team sport. Those times in the airport, hanging out with your team in the village, those are the memories you really hold on to. It is one of the big draws to team sport, and wheelchair rugby is no different,” he said. “Also, when you are in the village, getting to see so many athletes overcoming their disabilities will be really cool. I think it will be really powerful.”
Team Canada will play their first match on August 29th against team United States.
They also have preliminary games against Germany and Japan on August 30th and 31st.
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