(November 21, 2014) Ottawa – Wrestling Canada Lutte has announced the team-members competing November 28 and 29, 2014 at the Henri Deglane Challenge in Nice, France and the Brazil Cup in Rio.

“Both of these events come at an inportant time in the development of these team-members,“ says Wrestling Canada Lutte Executive Director Tamara Medwidsky. “The event in Nice will offer great international competition and the Rio event will allow these 2016 Olympic hopefuls the opportunity to familiarize themselves with Rio and Brazil.”

For the Henri Deglane event portion of the men’s tour, a mix of U24 and World Team Members will head to Nice, France. Leading the team will be current World Team Member and Commonwealth Games Champion Tamerlan Tagziev (86 kg) and 2012 Olympian Khetag Pliev (97 kg). Among the other team-members are 2014 Commonwealth Games Silver Medalist Jevon Balfour (65 kg) and Commonwealth Games athlete Chris Laverick (74 kg).

In Rio, the Brazil Cup tournament will be preceeded by a United World Wrestling Coaching School, November 20 – 21, 2014 and an international training camp. The coaching school will feature Wrestling Canada Lutte Talent Identification Coach, two-time Olympic silver medalist, Olympic bronze medalist and World silver and two-time bronze World medalist Tonya Verbeek as one of the presenters.

The Brazil Cup event will include male entries and a large women’s group featuring most of Wrestling Canada Lutte’s targeted athletes in addition to some U24 athletes. Entries of note include 2014 World Bronze medalist and Commonwealth Games medalist Jillian Gallays (53 kg) and Commonwealth Games medalists Dorothy Yeats (69 kg), Erica Wiebe (75 kg), Jasmine Mian (48 kg), Braxton Stone (58 kg), and Justine Bouchard (63 kg). Additional entries of note include 2013 Senior World Silver Medalist Stacie Anaka (69 kg) and Michelle Fazzari (58 kg).

A complete list of entries and coaches as well as event schedules follows:

Henri Deglane Challenge Tournament Schedule (local time):

November 28, 2014
2:00 pm – FS 65, 86, 125 kg – elimination rounds and repechage
7:00 pm – FS 65, 86, 125 kg – finals

November 29
2:00 pm – FS 57, 74, 97 kg – elimination rounds and repechage
7:00 pm – FS 57, 74, 97 kg – finals

Henri Deglane Challenge Team

57 kg – Scott Schiller, Dylan Williams
65 kg – Jevon Balfour, Cruiz Manning
74 kg – Shawn Daye-Finley, Chris Laverick
86 kg – Riley Otto, Tamerlan Tagziev
97 kg – Khetag Pliev, Alex Thoms
Coaches – David Spinney, David Zilberman
Referee – Guy Quenville

Brazil Cup Tournament schedule (local time):

November 28, 2014
9:00 am – 2:00 pm – FW all categories – elimination rounds
5:00 – 8:00 pm – FW all categories – finals

November 29, 2014
9:00 am – 2:00 pm – FS all categories – elimination rounds
4:00 – 7:00 pm – FS all categories – finals

Brazil Cup Tournament Team

Women
48 kg – Natasha Kramble, Jasmine Mian
53 kg – Jillian Gallays, Samantha Stewart
58 kg – Michelle Fazzari, Braxton Papadopoulos
63 kg – Justine Bouchard, Larissa D’Alleva
69 kg – Stacie Anaka, Justina Di Stasio, Breanne Graham, Hilary Goble, Dorothy Yeats
75 kg – Veronica Keefe, Erica Wiebe

Men
57 kg – John Pineda, Steven Takahashi
86 kg – Jordan Steen
97 kg – Manjot Sandhu

Team Leader – Alex Davidson
Coaches – Leigh Vierling (Women’s National Coach); Gia Sissaouri (Men’s National Coach); Tonya Verbeek (Talent ID Coach); Saeed Azarbayjani, Marty Calder, Dave McKay, Paul Ragusa
Medical – Victoria Cleary
Referee – Chris Falconer