At least two more Richmond athletes are heading to Scotland later this month for the Commonwealth Games, Rugby player Nathan Hirayama and table tennis player Andre Ho are the latest to be named to their respective Canadian teams. They join swimmer Luke Reilly and field hockey player Kaelan Watson.
Hirayama was one of 12 players selected to the Canadian Sevens team. The 27-yearold fly half standout will be looking to help Canada build on the momentum gained during the 2013/14 IRB Sevens World Series that produced a best-ever sixth place overall finish - highlighted by second in Glasgow and third in Las Vegas.
"This Canadian Rugby Sevens Team has been playing at a world class level," says Team Canada Chef de Mission, Chantal Petitclerc.
"With their strong results on the IRB World Series this past season, those taking in the action at Ibrox Stadium are sure to be treated to exceptional games."
The Canadian sevens team has been placed in Pool A with four-time defending champions New Zealand, Barbados, and host-nation Scotland. The sevens tournament will run over two days with preliminary rounds the first day and tournament finals on the second.
"We're excited about the team that has been selected for the Commonwealth Games and are eager to return to Glasgow", said Steve Lancaster, Rugby Canada's High Performance Manager. "Our previous trip to Scotland this year was very positive, and our guys proved that they can succeed against the best in the world.
"We see the Commonwealth Games as a big opportunity for this team, and will be looking for another strong result in Glasgow leading us into next year's Pan American Games in Toronto and the Rio Olympics in 2016."
After extensive meetings with national team coaches Ho was one of four men's players named to Canada's table tennis entry.
The 22-year-old, who competed in the men's singles event at the 2010 Summer Olympic Games in London, is currently ranked No. 5 in the country.
