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The athlete who’ll carry the Canadian flag at the opening ceremonies at the upcoming Parapan Am Games was revealed today. There was also a special guest at America’s Paralympic General Assembly luncheon today.
The flag bearer will be Marco Dispaltro from Quebec. He’s a Canadian boccia ball player who has Muscular Dystrophy. “Tremendously honoured, tremendously humbled to receive this prestigious award, not award, it’s just great to be the flag bearer.” Josh Dueck carried the flag at the 2014 Paralympics. He presented it to Marco Dispaltro. Doctors told him his Muscular Dystrophy wouldn’t let him live past 40 years old. He’s now 48 and says he’s like the Gordie Howe of wheelchair sports and doesn’t plan to quit anytime soon no matter what doctors say.
The special guest at another Parapan Am event today was eleven year old Charlotte Bolton from Tillsonburg. She wrote a song which is intended to inspire athletes. And it did inspire Parapan Am officials today. Charlotte’s song “Strong” brought officials to their feet. The lyrics were handed out to Parapan Am officials, representatives from other countries and politicians. The eleven year old who has Dwarfism hopes her song will inspire the Parapan Am Games athletes. “So that they know that they can do it and that people believe in them.” Charlotte’s mom Bridget Fearon agrees “Someone recently told me that they listen to her song once a week because it inspires them, so I’m sure these athletes will hopefully have the same response.”
Toronto’s mayor, John Tory believes in them. “I think it’ll change attitudes I think it’s going to awaken in people who don’t think much of these things the fact that if you’ve got the courage and determination it’s possible for you to do anything regardless of your level of ability or perhaps disability.”
Kristina Molloy, Parapan Am Planning and Intergration Director says tickets are still available and they start at twenty dollars a piece. She says watching the athletes compete at this level is worth every penny. “You’ll really find that for people who haven’t seen Parasport before, once you see it once, you’re changed forever and you become a fan forever.”
