Three former University of Victoria Vikes are among the Field Hockey Canada squad for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Recent Vikes graduate Brenden Bissett joins fellow alumni and national team fixtures Matthew Sarmento and Keegan Pereira at the Games. Bissett closed out his five-year career with the Vikes in 2015-16 while Sarmento and Pereira each spent time with the Vikes and the UBC Thunderbirds.
Bissett was part of the Canadian team that secured a trip to the Rio Olympics in the FIH World League Semifinals and a silver at the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto. He was called up to the Canada men’s national team roster for a New Zealand Tour last December.
Sarmento has more than 50 senior national caps. He has been part of a number of big Canadian moments since making his international debut in 2011, including helping Canada top New Zealand for a spot in the Olympics in 2015. He was also part of the Canadian team that captured silver on home soil at the 2015 Pan Am Games, scoring three goals on seven shots.
Born in India, Pereira grew up in Ontario and made his international debut in Victoria against India in 2009. Since then, he’s combined for more than 90 senior caps and helped Canada win silver at the 2011 Pan Am Games in Guadalajara. Sidelined by an ACL injury for most of 2015, Pereira is back and ready to make a mark in his first Olympics.
With one month to go before the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil, the 16 men shift their attention to a four-game series against the United States.
To see the full Canada-USA series schedule, results, and game recaps visit fieldhockey.ca.