Team Canada chef de mission Chantal Petitclerc has revealed that the Commonwealth Games hold a "special" place in her heart.
Petitclerc established herself as one of the most decorated athletes in Canadian sporting history during a glittering career that saw her win 21 Paralympic medals, including 14 golds.
The 44-year-old has since been named as the chef de mission for this summer's Games in Glasgow, and she believes that the Commonwealths are particularly special for the way that they include Para sports alongside regular events.
"To me, as a former Commonwealth Games athlete, medallist and flag bearer, the Commonwealth Games have always had a special place in my heart. As a Para athlete, the Commonwealth Games have always been a pioneer in being very inclusive of Para sports and that is very important to me," Petitclerc told reporters.
"Also I think that it shows that these Games are very open minded and that they are doing something that other Games don't do in terms of inclusion. They call them the friendly Games and I think that you can feel that in the village at the moment. The spirit and the atmosphere is so good but, at the same time, highly competitive. That is another thing that I enjoy about these Commonwealth Games – the balance of a great experience for everybody and specifically for athletes.
"The impression that we have about the Village, it's been a great Village. It's been a very efficient, and high-quality Village, and every need and service has been supplied. It is important because it is the last few days before the athletes go out and try to do their best. We wanted this daily environment to be a home away from home and so far we've been very lucky with that."
The Glasgow games get underway tomorrow, with Canada looking to improve upon their fourth-place finish in the medal table from 2010.
Barney Corkhill
