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Volleyball Canada: First Team Canada Athletes arrive in Cambodia
Phnom Penh, CAMBODIA - Three members of Canada’s World Champion Men’s Standing Volleyball Team have arrived in Phnom Penh, Cambodia today – the first of six who will be competing in the 2005 Asia-Oceania Volleyball Championships, which begins on June 27th .
Their arrival marks the beginning of Volleyball Canada’s ‘Step Onto the Court: Canada-Cambodia 2005’ project.
Head Coach Calvin Aubin (Calgary, AB) and veteran players Neil Johnson (Glencoe, ON) and Larry Matthews (Edmonton, AB) have arrived a few days prior to the beginning of the tournament in order to run some volleyball clinics for players and coaches of the Cambodian National Volleyball League (Disabled) (CNVLD). The Canadians will be holding two volleyball clinics per day for each of the next three days.
“The game of volleyball has given me and the players so much,” said Aubin about his desire to run the clinics.
“We felt that it was important to give something back, especially here in Cambodia where the CNVLD has contributed so much to the game of Standing Volleyball and to the social and physical rehabilitation of landmine survivors.”
On an interesting note, the clinics and some of the tournament matches will be featured in a documentary film being shot in Cambodia about the social rehabilitation of landmine survivors. A Canadian, Ms. Sandra Rodriguez, is producing the film.
The CNVLD is Cambodia’s premier sports league – it’s players and coaches are national heroes – and is made up entirely of athletes with acquired disabilities, most of whom are landmine survivors.
In between the volleyball clinics, Aubin, Johnson and Matthews will be visiting National Rehabilitation Centres and the Cambodian National Team house outside Phnom Penh where they will be introduced to the true provincial Khmer culture – which will surely prove to be a very unique and enlightening experience.
The remainder of Team Canada’s roster for the Championships, John Przybyszewski (Toronto, ON), Mikael Bartholdy (Calgary, AB) and Greg Stewart (Kamloops, BC), will be arriving in Phnom Penh on June 26th .
The team will be welcoming two Cambodian players onto their roster as well, who are a part of ‘Team Canada KomPon Speu’, a CNVLD team named in honour of Canada’s participation in and support of the tournament.
Team Canada will be submitting an ongoing log of their daily activities and impressions while in Cambodia. The log will be posted on Volleyball Canada’s website at www.volleyball.ca .
Team Canada would like to thank the following groups and individuals for their support of the ‘Step Onto the Court’ project:
H.E. Ms. Donica Pottie, Canadian Ambassador to Cambodia; Canadian Heritage’s International Sport Directorate; Maxim Power Corporation of Calgary, AB; Jupiter Power of Cambodia; and Mines Action Canada.
For more information on the ‘Step Onto the Court’ project and on Team Canada Disabled Volleyball, please visit Volleyball Canada’s website at
www.volleyball.ca , or phone Phil Allen, Coordinator, Disabled Volleyball at (613) 748-5681 x.230.
TCDV Cambodia Roster
Neil Johnson (Glencoe, ON); John Przybyszewski (Toronto, ON); Larry Matthews (Edmonton, AB); Mikael Bartholdy (Calgary, AB); Greg Stewart (Kamloops, BC); Calvin Aubin, Head Coach (Calgary, AB).
TCDV full roster
Mikael Bartholdy (Calgary, AB); Mike Cleaveley (Calgary, AB); Chad Drummond (Edmonton, AB); Geoff Hammond (Ft. St. John, BC); Neil Johnson (Glencoe, ON); Larry Matthews (Edmonton, AB); Jason Migchels (Alvinston, ON); John Przybyszewski (Toronto, ON); Tony Quarin (Edmonton, AB); Chris Rodway (Calgary, AB); Joey Stabner (Saskatoon, SK); Greg Stewart (Kamloops, BC). Calvin Aubin, Head Coach (Calgary, AB); Rod Durrant, Assistant Coach (Calgary, AB); Hilary Beck, Athletic Therapist (Calgary, AB); Phil Allen, Team Manager (Lapêche, QC).
For more information contact:
Greg Smith
Communications Director
Volleyball Canada
613-748-5681 x.224
gsmith@volleyball.ca
Phil Allen
Coordinator Disabled Volleyball
Volleyball Canada
613-748-5681 x.230
pallen@volleyball.ca
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