From December 12 to 14, five of the top wheelchair rugby teams from Canada and the United States took to the court for the biggest event in the sport in Québec: the Parasports Invitation.
Now in its 14th edition, the tournament delivered on all fronts, offering a gripping parasport show made of suspense, intensity, and sportsmanship at the Centre sportif du Cégep Édouard-Montpetit in Longueuil. Here’s a look back at the standout performances and the historic results achieved by all participating teams for this 2025 edition.
A tight start to the tournament but Québec teams take an early lead
The tournament tipped off Friday night with two opening matchups pitting Québec’s home teams against Canadian rivals from British Columbia and Ontario’s Ottawa Stingers.
With a new roster configuration for the home province, Québec Team 1 featured some of the sport’s most experienced athletes, including Paralympians Fabien Lavoie and Patrice Simard, along with recent RugbyMania tournament champion Mélanie Labelle, under the guidance of former national team head coach Patrick Côté.
Québec Team 2, coached by Martin Globensky, brought together several members of the Canadian national team—Yanick Racicot, Maxime Drolet-Gauthier, and Jean-Philippe Côté-Nadon—along with Québec’s newest rising talent, Jean-François Huneault.
In their opening games, Québec’s squads had to battle hard to get past their opponents.
In the first matchup, Québec 1 edged out British Columbia in a hard-fought contest, winning 41–39.
Québec 2 followed with a strong opening performance, defeating the Ottawa Stingers 50–46.
Photo : Mission Photographie
Saturday morning delivered a high-intensity all-Québec showdown between provincial teammates. Québec 1 took control and secured a clear win over Québec 2, 59–48.
At the same time, the Stingers took down the New Hampshire Wildcats (North East Passage) who just entered the tournament. Ottawa claimed a 50–37 victory over the Americans.
Photo : Mission Photographie
Later that afternoon, British Columbia also earned a comfortable win over the Wildcats, 47–35.
Québec 1 stayed on a roll with a 48–39 victory over the Stingers.
Later in the day, the team from Western Canada picked up a second win in three matches, once again defeating Ottawa, 49–41.
Québec 2 closed out the day on a high note as well, earning its second win with a 55–40 victory over North East Passage.
On Sunday morning, in the final games before the championship matches, the Wildcats once again came up short—this time against the tournament leaders, Québec 1. Patrick Côté’s squad finished the round-robin stage undefeated, topping the standings with a fourth straight win, 57–33.
In the other decisive matchup that finalized the bronze and gold medal games, Québec 2 earned its third victory of the tournament, defeating British Columbia 46–34.
Photo : Mission Photographie
A historic all-Québec final crowns the champions
With two teams competing in the same division, Québec was well represented at this 14th edition of the Parasports Invitation. Facing opponents who were used to playing together, the challenge was significant. Yet despite the new lineup configurations, Québec’s athletes delivered an outstanding performance, advancing to the final for what would become the first-ever all-Québec championship match in Parasports Invitation history.
The bronze medal game featured a thrilling, tightly contested battle between British Columbia and Ontario. The two teams traded points throughout regulation, neither able to pull away. Locked at 40–40 at the final buzzer, the teams headed to overtime, where British Columbia ultimately prevailed by a single point, 45–44.
Photo : Mission Photographie
Then came the moment everyone was waiting for: the championship final, a clash that would decide which Québec team would write its name into Parasports Invitation history. After the first period, the teams were deadlocked at 11–11. It was in the second period that Québec 1 (Québec Blue) managed to seize the momentum, heading into halftime with a 24–20 lead.
Photo : Mission Photographie
Québec 1 maintained its edge through the third period and entered the final quarter still up by five points, 40–35. After an intense, hard-fought finish, Québec 1 was crowned champion with a 52–47 victory. Patrick Côté’s athletes succeed the Toronto Titans and British Columbia, champions in 2024 and 2023 respectively.
Québec 1 gets the 14th Parasports Invitation’s trophy. Photo : Mission Photographie
Congratulations to all the athletes who took part in this 14th edition of the Parasports Invitation!
To relive the excitement of this year’s matches, visit Parasports Québec’s YouTube channel here.
To find all results and match sheets, check the dedicated page here!
To view the event photo album, head to the Facebook page of Parasports Québec (link below).
Parasports Québec extends its sincere thanks to its partners—especially the Government of Québec and the Bourassa Savaria Foundation—for their financial support toward the development of parasports. The federation would also like to thank the athletes, officials, coaches, and volunteers, without whom this edition would not have been such a success.
See you next year in Québec for the 15th anniversary edition of the Parasports Invitation!
