Montreal is once again stepping into the spotlight as the global hub of parasport, hosting this year’s 43rd annual Défi Sportif AlterGo.
The event brings together more than six thousand athletes from dozens of countries across the world – and Wednesday afternoon, the action brought visitors to the Maurice-Richard arena, where all eyes were fixed on the the athletes, for the boccia event, an adapted version of curling.
“This event actually is one of those events that’s related to my career and my story and I encourage all the people to come and see of course what we do here each year,” said Iulian Ciobanu, a boccia player.
Monique Lefebvre, the founder of Défi Sportif AlterGo, said, “For me, what’s important is putting on a high-caliber competition. A truly major event. Because often, the image of people with disabilities is sad—they’re pitied, and the events are poorly organized. So, I really wanted something on a grand scale. So we started small, and today, I’ll admit, it’s huge.”
Émilie Bouchard Labonté, the deputy executive director of Défi Sportif AlterGo, added, “We have more than 6,000 athletes from around the world and around Montreal and Canada to compete this week for about 11 days. Here, right now, we are hosting the World Boccia Cup, it’s an event that we host more than 20 countries that are here in Montreal.”
Conceived under the slogan “Anything is possible”, Défi Sportif AlterGo’s mission is twofold: helping young people with functional limitations maintain an active lifestyle and promote adapted sport.
“I’m really motivated by the idea of changing the way people with disabilities are perceived. Because, to me, my parents were just like any other parents. And I saw their potential, not their limitations. So I thought to myself that, to create a better society, people need to see potential instead of obstacles,” explained Lefebvre, whose parents she said both lived with functional limitations.
“When I was 30, I never thought I could do a sport because of my disability or my impairment, and this sport just came into my life like this by chance and some of my friends, my family, they encouraged me,” described Ciobanu about the moment he overcame his own limitations.
More than a decade later, Ciobanu is a high‑level athlete who has competed in three Paralympic Games, won multiple medals, and made the national boccia team—achievements he says began with his first visit to the Maurice‑Richard Arena for Défi Sportif AlterGo in 2015.
“Inspiring young people to get out of their isolation. If they are thinking that they can do or become a high-level athlete, I can prove to them that it’s possible,” Ciobanu explained.
Lefebvre added, “My message to the community is to take the chance to come see for yourselves. This goes especially for families who have young people with disabilities among them—to show them that anything is possible.”
With the final day of competition scheduled for Sunday, organizers say there are plenty of upcoming events for visitors to see.
“We’ve got five days, five days more of competition. This weekend, we will have Powerchair Soccer and Wheelchair basketball,” said Labonté.
