Basketball player Pat Anderson and swimmer Katarina Roxon, who have competed together at nine Paralympic Games, will lead the Canadian delegation at Wednesday's opening ceremony at 1:20 p.m. ET at Place de la Concorde, Paris' largest square.
Announced Tuesday as flag bearers, they are part of the 126-member Canadian team looking to add to their 21 medals, including five gold, won three years ago at the Tokyo Paralympics.
It will be the sixth and final Games for Anderson, 45, who has won three gold medals and a silver since the 2000 event in Sydney.
For Roxon, 31, she will become the first Canadian swimmer to compete in five Paralympic Games, 16 years after her debut in 2008 in Beijing.
Anderson and his wheelchair basketball teammates qualified for Paris in April with a 72-60 victory over Italy in a men's playoff tournament in Antibes, France.
The Canadian team, which has competed at every Games since 1968, is aiming for its first gold medal since 2012 in London, after being crowned Paralympic champions in 2000 and 2004. Anderson also won a silver medal in 2008.
“Going back a long way [to my first Games in Sydney] “We knew we had a chance to win a gold medal and that we were one of the best teams,” Anderson told reporters on a recent Zoom call from Europe. “We had a lot of confidence. We were young, we were hungry, we hadn’t won anything yet.
“This team is also quite young and hungry, but we are definitely mid-table and… we have to take it step by step and improve as the tournament goes on.”
SEE | Anderson and teammates book ticket to Paris Paralympic Games:
Canada beat Italy 72-60 on Monday in a final Paralympic qualifying match in Antibes, France, securing a spot at the Paris Paralympic Games.
Last fall, Anderson averaged 17.8 points per game and led Canada to the bronze medal at the Parapan American Games in Santiago, Chile, helping them qualify for the last-chance Paralympic qualifier in Antibes.
Put up-Paris, a father of three, born in Edmonton and raised in Fergus, Ontario, would like to contribute to wheelchair basketball.
“I'm grateful to have been here long enough to meet and play with and against a new generation of great talent,” said Anderson, who lost both legs below the knee in a 1989 accident.
Passion for creating music
“Not just witnessing the evolution of the game, but being a part of it, being in the game and competing with these athletes that I really admire and love to watch.”
Before returning to his other passions, such as public speaking and creating music with his wife, Anna, and their band The Lay Awakes, Anderson will begin his quest for another Paralympic medal Friday against France at the Bercy Arena in Paris.
Roxon, of Nook Brook, N.L., will also open her Games on Friday in the women's SB8 100m breaststroke and will compete in the 200m on Sept. 5.
The two-time Paralympic medallist recently told CBC Information that the nerves before a swim meet will likely never go away. However, those nerves are mixed with excitement.
“It’s always super exciting to represent your family, your city, your province, your country on any stage,” said Roxon, who was born without his left arm below the elbow.
WATCH | Roxon on fifth Paralympic Games: 'It's a very humbling experience':
Katarina Roxon first made her Paralympic swimming debut when she was just 15 years old. Now, the pride of Kippens, Newfoundland, is preparing for her fifth Games. CBC's Arlette Lazarenko caught up with the Team Canada veteran just days before her trip to Paris.
In her Paralympic debut in 2008, Roxon, 15, was the youngest swimmer on the Canadian team in Beijing, placing 12th in the 100m breaststroke.
Four years later in London, she climbed seven places to fifth before winning her first Paralympic medal, winning the 100m breaststroke in a Canadian record time at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio.
Three years ago in Tokyo, Roxon finished fourth in the breaststroke and won bronze in the team event.
“Every experience is different. It’s always a learning lesson,” said Roxon, who lives in Kippens, N.L. “I’m a veteran [with this team] So I'm looking to have fun and achieve my goals.
Unlike previous Games, Roxon's family, partner and friends will be with her in Paris.
“I’m grateful for the support, it’s very important,” said Roxon, a bronze medallist at the 2022 and 2023 world championships. “I’ve had a lot of support over the last 20 years. I’m lucky that people want me to succeed.”
WATCH | Canada's Paralympic Chefs de Mission join CBC Sports activities:
CBC Sports' Devin Heroux speaks with Canada's co-chefs de mission Karolina Wisniewska and Josh Vander Vies about leading the team to the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
“Travel fan. Gamer. Hardcore pop culture buff. Amateur social media specialist. Coffeeaholic. Web trailblazer.”
