Marta | BC Wheelchair Sports Association

Marta – Pushing to New Goals and Empowering More Girls and Women to Try Para Sport
Nathan Bragg | August 5, 2026

Everyone has a place in sport and at BC Wheelchair Sports we’re committed to creating programs and environments where people with disabilities feel encouraged to get active and engage with a supportive community.

For athletes like Marta, the supportive community is why she first got involved and remains a motivating factor as she continues to push herself and help others get involved and find their place in sport.

“Participating in Wheelchair Sports has brought me lots of self-growth, new best friends,
and fun times.”
Marta, BCWSA Athlete

Marta was introduced to wheelchair sports during her rehabilitation from a spinal cord injury at GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre in Vancouver.

It was here that she first learned about Wheelchair Rugby and was introduced to members of the Vancouver Wheelchair Club who welcomed her with open arms and encouraged her to get involved.

Since then, Marta has become a fixture at weekly practices and part of a growing number of girls and women getting involved in the historically male-dominated sport, which she hopes will continue to improve not only in rugby but across all parasports.

“I’ve noticed that are less women and girls involved in parasport than men, but I think the community, attitudes and environments around parasport have been changing a lot lately, particularly on the women’s side to get more people involved. The community plays an important role in creating a welcoming space that is open to everyone”

BCWSA is actively working to connect more girls and women to wheelchair sports by creating more welcoming environments, building community, and launching intentional initiatives for girls and women in sport.

Initiatives like targeted Girls and Women’s Wheelchair Rugby Have-A-Go Days in each of the province’s rugby clubs and new Women’s Wheelchair Tennis programs are just some of the ways that BCWSA is helping connect girls and women to sport.

This is important because sport has the potential to open up doors and benefit athletes far beyond the field of play. For Marta, competing in Wheelchair Rugby and joining Wheelchair Tennis programs have helped her gain strength and independence post-injury, meet understanding and supportive peers, and travel and compete as part of a team.

This past April, Marta traveled to Montreal and competed at the first-ever Women’s National Wheelchair Rugby Championships, where she won gold playing with the Western Lights, a team made up of athletes from BC and Alberta, in what was an important milestone for Marta, her team, and the sport as a whole.

Marta smiling at a wheelchair rugby club practice

As Marta continues to improve on the court and push towards her goals, she’s also helping to create the type of community she wants to see grow. She takes an active role in encouraging other girls and women to try para sports and is an excellent mentor to many of our junior participants, thanks to her kindness and enthusiasm.

“Trying para sport can be more complicated than able-bodied sports with all of the equipment and supports that are needed but I always encourage people to come out with an open mind and give it a try”

By donating to BC Wheelchair Sports, you can help support athletes like Marta and make a difference by investing in the power of community. Small acts can make a big impact.