Abbotsford rugby player joins Team Canada for Summer Youth Olympic Games
Published 3:00 pm Tuesday, October 27, 2026
Abbotsford athletes have long been a steady presence in the international rugby scene, with one teenager keeping this trend going by attending the upcoming Summer Youth Olympic Games.
Mason Balzer was recently named to the U17 men’s sevens Team Canada roster, making him the first-ever Abbotsford rugby player to compete in the Youth Olympic Games.
Joining the Yale Secondary athlete in the Senegal competition are 11 other teen rugby stars, three of whom are from B.C.
This is a big moment for Canada’s teen rugby program, which has never before had a men’s team compete in the Youth Olympic Games, said head coach Greg Hedgecoe.
“I sincerely thank every athlete who committed themselves to the selection process,” said Hedgecoe.
“While not everyone could be named to the travelling squad or non-travelling reserves, each athlete has played an important role in showcasing rugby sevens across Canada and raising the standard of our program.”
While there is no Canadian women’s team attending this year, they have earned a silver and bronze medal at previous iterations of the Summer Youth Olympic Games.
The upcoming Youth Olympic Games take place from Oct. 30 to Nov. 13, with the rugby portion happening from Nov. 1 to 3.
Canada is part of Group A, alongside teams from Germany, Senegal, and South Africa.
Athletes between the ages of 15 and 18 will also be participating in 3×3 basketball, archery, artistic gymnastics, athletics, badminton, baseball5, beach handball, beach volleyball, beach wrestling, boxing, breaking, road cycling, equestrian, fencing, futsal, judo, rowing, sailing, skateboarding, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, triathlon, and wushu taolu.
Only six of the 28 Canadian athletes are from B.C., with Balzer being the only Fraser Valley teen selected.
Balzer is coming off a stint with the BC Bears, where he competed as part of the U17 team in the national O’Neills Challenge Cup.