July 2, 2024
Twelve athletes have been named to the Canadian women’s basketball team for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, marking Team Canada’s eighth appearance at the women’s Olympic basketball tournament since women’s basketball was introduced to the Olympic program at Montreal 1976.
For the first time in 24 years, since Sydney 2000, Canada’s women’s and men’s basketball teams will compete together at the Olympic Games.
The Canadians qualified for their fourth consecutive Olympic Games by finishing third at the FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Sopron, Hungary, last February.
Set to become the first Canadian basketball player to compete in four Olympic Games, Natalie Achonwa will bring her experience as the team continues its quest for a first Olympic medal. Achonwa played nine seasons in the WNBA with the Indiana Fever and Minnesota Lynx.
“It’s always a huge honour to represent my country at an Olympic Games,” said Natalie Achonwa, team co-captain. “No matter what tournament or competition it is, the pride I feel when I put on a Canada jersey is always there. Knowing that this will be my last time in this jersey, I want to enjoy every second of it. As a team, our approach and mentality has been the same over the last four years. We’ve all been committed to the work that needs to be done together right now with the goal of being at our best when we step into the spotlight in Paris.”
The four players currently active in the WNBA — Laeticia Amihere of the Atlanta Dream, Bridget Carleton of the Minnesota Lynx, Aaliyah Edwards of the Washington Mystics and Kia Nurse of the Los Angeles Sparks — will join the team in July during the league’s Olympic hiatus.
This will be the second Olympics for Amihere, Carleton and Edwards, and the third for Nurse, who represented Canada at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
Team Canada’s roster features seven players with WNBA experience, including co-captain Kayla Alexander, who was selected eighth overall by San Antonio in the 2013 WNBA Draft and played nine seasons in the league.
“I look forward to competing at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games alongside my teammates,” said Alexander, who made her Olympic debut in Tokyo. “It’s a dream come true to represent Canada at the highest level playing a sport I love. I thank God for the privilege of representing my country again. The journey is never easy or without challenges, but this makes me all the more grateful for this opportunity.”
Four Canadians – Yvonne Ejim, Sami Hill, Cassandre Prosper and Syla Swords – will compete in their first Olympic Games with Canada later this month in Paris.
Swords is the daughter of Shaun Swords, who represented Canada at the Sydney 2000 Games. At 18, she will become the youngest basketball athlete to represent Canada at the Olympics.
Since being named head coach of Canada’s senior women’s national team in 2022, Víctor Lapeña has led the team to a 17-7 record in FIBA tournaments. Previously, Lapeña was an assistant coach with Spain and won an Olympic silver medal at Rio 2016.
“We are excited about the team we have built to proudly represent Canada this summer in Paris,” said Victor Lapeña, head coach of Canada’s senior women’s national team. “After finishing fourth at the last World Cup, we will look to take another step forward as a program. Eight players on the team have represented Canada at the Olympic Games in the past and that experience will certainly come in handy during key moments of the tournament. As we continue our preparation for the Games in the coming weeks, we will continue to look to improve collectively every day until the end of the Olympic Games.”
Canada’s best Olympic finish in women’s basketball was a fourth-place finish at Los Angeles 1984. Currently ranked fifth in the FIBA World Rankings, Canada finished fourth at the most recent FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in 2022 and won a bronze medal at the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup in 2023.
Last week, Canada defeated Portugal 91-65 in an exhibition game in Victoria, B.C. The team will now travel to Belgium and Spain to continue its training camp and exhibition schedule before heading to France.
The women’s basketball tournament will run from July 27 to August 11 (days 1 to 16). Stade Pierre Mauroy in Lille will host the preliminary round before the final round moves to Arena Bercy in Paris. Canada’s first game of the tournament will be on July 29 (11:15 a.m. ET) against hosts France.
Team Canada women’s basketball athletes at Paris 2024
Natalie Achonwa (Guelph, ON)
Kayla Alexander (Milton, ON)
Laeticia Amihere (Mississauga, ON)
Bridget Carleton (Chatham, ON)
Shay Colley (Brampton, ON)
Aaliyah Edwards (Kingston, ON)
Yvonne Ejim (Calgary, AB)
Nirra Fields (Montreal, QC)
Sami Hill (Toronto, ON)
Kia Nurse (Hamilton, ON)
Cassandre Prosper (Montreal, QC)
Syla Swords (Sudbury, ON)
