Help Me Stay in the Game: New Wheelchair Rugby Chair Needed

Hi, I’m Rio Kanda Kovac, and I play wheelchair rugby for Team Canada. I’ve just returned from São Paulo, Brazil, where our team won bronze at the WWR Americas Championship, qualifying for the 2026 World Championships.

But I need your help to keep going.

My current chair has taken a beating over the past few seasons. It’s too small, bent from heavy hits, and nearing the end of its life. To keep playing — and stay safe — I need to raise $17,000 CAD for a new chair and a custom-molded seat.

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Why This Matters

During the semifinals in Brazil, I broke my finger. I felt a sharp pain shoot through my hand — I knew right away it was broken. But I couldn’t walk away. I taped it up, pulled my gloves on, and kept playing because that’s what my team needed.

“Rugby made me accept my own disability and thrive."

Before rugby, I was the kid sitting on the sidelines during school sports. I have Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a progressive neurological disorder that affects the nerves in my arms and legs. But everything changed when I watched the Para-Pan Am Games in Toronto in 2015. I was 12 years old. A year later, I saved up and bought my first rugby chair. At 14, I competed for the first time in Chiba, Japan. At 15, I was training with Team Canada.

Now I’ve played internationally, trained in Japan, earned a rugby scholarship to the University of Arizona, and proudly represented Canada at the Paris 2024 Paralympics.

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Why This Chair Is So Important

Wheelchair rugby is high-impact and high-performance. We hit hard, turn fast, and push our gear to the limit. I’ve outgrown my current chair, and it’s no longer safe or effective for elite play.

This new setup will give me a huge boost:

1. A custom carbon fiber bucket seat, molded in Japan, will act like a prosthesis — improving my balance, posture, and turning power.

2. A new rugby chair, custom-built in New Zealand, will be optimized for speed, durability, and international play.

I’ll be the first athlete on Team Canada and outside of Japan to use this advanced seating system.

Team Canada athletes pay for their own chairs and seats — we don’t receive government funding for equipment.

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What I’m Fundraising For

| Item | Estimated Cost |

| --------------------------------------- | ---------------- |

| Custom rugby chair (New Zealand) | $11,000 |

| Custom carbon fiber bucket seat (Japan) | $4,500 |

| Shipping, travel, and fitting | $1,500 |

| Total | $17,000 CAD |

Every donation — big or small — gets me closer to competing with the world’s best.

If you’re not in a position to give, I’d still be incredibly grateful if you shared this campaign with your network.

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What’s Next

My goal is to represent Canada again at the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.

I train four days a week with Team Canada. I study business. I hope to coach one day and help inspire the next generation of disabled athletes to get in the game.

This new chair is the next step on that journey. Thank you for helping me stay on the court — for my team, my country, and every kid who’s ever felt left out like I once did.

Thank you for believing in me.

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Rio Kanda Kovac

Team Canada, Wheelchair Rugby

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