TORONTO (August 30, 2023) – Canada Skateboard and the Canadian Olympic Committee have announced the roster of the Canadian skateboarding team that has been nominated to compete at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games.

Here are the Team Canada skateboard team members for the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games:

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Ryan Decenzo (Delta, BC)
Fay Defazio Ebert (Toronto, ON)
Adam Hopkins (Thunder Bay, ON)
Samantha Secours (St Hubert, QC)

All four athletes qualified for Team Canada based on their place in the World Skate Olympic skateboarding rankings. Team Canada secured the maximum quota of four athletes, two per gender, at the Santiago 2023 Games. This marks the first time the sport has been included in the Pan American Games program, two years after its Olympic debut at the Tokyo Games 2020. The four athletes traveling to Santiago will all be attending their first major games.

Defazio Ebert, who is just a month away from celebrating his 14th birthday at the 2023 Santiago Games, is a talented young athlete rising on the world parks scene. After narrowly missing out on qualifying for the Tokyo 2020 Games, she is now aiming to make her Olympic debut in Paris 2024. The Toronto teenager is currently 20 years old^e ranked in the Park Olympia world rankings, is set to become the youngest athlete to make Team Canada at the Santiago 2023 Games.

“I am very happy to take part in this competition in Chile. It’s my first time representing Team Canada in skateboarding, but it certainly won’t be the last. Let’s go,” says Defazio Ebert.

Decenzo, currently 11th in the Olympic road standings, can’t wait to compete in his first major games. As a gold medalist at the X-Games, he has been a mainstay of international skateboarding for over 10 years. After missing out on qualifying for the Tokyo 2020 games, his current focus is on earning ranking points to qualify for the Paris 2024 games. He’s one of Canada’s hottest street skateboarders and will certainly allow Team Canada members present at Santiago 2023 to benefit from his experience in competitions where the pressure and stakes are high.

“I’m really grateful and excited to join my board and represent Canada at the Pan American Games,” said Decenzo.

“It’s a great honor to work with Ryan, Sam and Fay and represent Team Canada at the Pan Am Games in Chile. I can’t wait to visit Chile for the first time and compete with snowboarders from across America,” adds Hopkins.

Sean Hayes (Delta, BC) has been selected to coach and run the Canadian skateboarding team for Santiago 2023.

“The Pan American Games represents an incredible opportunity to showcase the excellence of Canadian skateboarding. The members of this team want to be part of Paris 2024 and this is the best dress rehearsal we could ask for. Everyone is excited to be a part of Team Canada and to showcase skateboarding,” said Canada Skateboard High Performance Director Adam Higgins.

The skateboard events will take place on October 21st and 22nd (days 1 and 2) at the Estadio Nacional.

“With style and confidence, Team Canada riders are poised to make their mark when the sport first steps onto the Pan American Games stage,” said Christine Girard, Team Canada Chef de Mission at the Games. Pan American Games 2023 in Santiago With the tricks, the tricks and the passion for their board, these athletes are about to roll and jump to success in their first ever Pan American Games. What an honor for me to be on the front row. »

Before all nominated athletes are confirmed as members of Team Canada, they must be approved by the Canadian Olympic Committee’s Team Selection Committee once all nominations have been received from national sports organizations.

An updated Team Canada roster for the 2023 Santiago Games can be found here.

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MEDIA CONTACTS:

Emanuele Barbier, Communications Coordinator
Canada skateboarding
Cell. : 438-836-5910
Email: emanuele@canadaskateboard.ca

Tara MacBournie
Head of Sports Communications for Team Canada at the Santiago 2023 Games
Canadian Olympic Committee
Cell. : 647-464-4060
Email: tmacbournie@olympique.ca