The Brazilian sun will set on the Rio Olympics on Sunday night, but for Canada’s Paralympic athletes, the excitement is far from over.
The 2016 Summer Paralympics are set to begin on Sept. 7, and more than 100 Canadian athletes are expected to compete across 19 different sports.
Here are five sports to watch out for at the upcoming Paralympic Games:
Wheelchair basketball
Canada’s largest showing at the Paralympics will be its two wheelchair basketball teams of 12 men and 12 women, and both teams have serious titles to defend.
The women’s team are the reigning world champions from 2014 and brought home silver at the 2015 Parapan Am Games. The men’s team captured gold at London 2012, and six of those medallists will compete in Rio.
The game has a storied history and was first played among injured soldiers and servicemen from the Second World War. The rules of wheelchair basketball closely mirror those of standing basketball, with slight adjustments to dribbling and fouls.
Boccia
Boccia is one of Canada’s best sports at the Paralympics, with Canadian athletes bringing home medals in the last four Games.
Six boccia athletes will represent Canada in Rio, four of whom are first-time Paralympians. Canada’s two veteran boccia players -- Marco Dispaltro and Paul Gauthier – both have medals under their belts.
Boccia is an individual sport similar to lawn bowling that involves throwing leather balls at a target called a jack. There are four different classifications of the Paralympic sport, three of which are reserved for athletes with cerebral palsy.
Para-dressage
Canada has taken home five medals since para-dressage was introduced in 1996 to the Paralympic Games. Four athletes will represent Canada at the equestrian event, including Lauren Barwick, who took home gold and silver at 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games.
Sitting volleyball
For the first time ever, a team of 12 women will compete on behalf of Canada in sitting volleyball at the Paralympics. Hopes are high for Canada after the team won a bronze medal at the Parapan Am Games in Toronto last year.
Sitting volleyball involves a lower net than standing volleyball, a smaller court and is known for being extremely fast paced.
Table tennis
Stephanie Chan of Richmond, B.C. will be Canada’s first Paralympian to compete in table tennis since 2008, and the expectations for a medal are high. She qualified for Rio in 2015 after taking home gold at the women’s class 7 singles at Toronto’s Parapan Am Games.
Chan is ranked 10th overall in the world.
