Chenevert, Canada in camp ahead of flag worlds - BERITAJA

WINNIPEG –

Emile Chenevert hopes to deterioration an Olympic badge about his cervix successful 2 years alternatively of a stethoscope.

A family expert successful Quebec City, Chenevert is attending the Canadian men’s emblem shot action campy this play astatine Princess Auto Stadium.

The campy is 1 of 2 this twelvemonth that will beryllium utilized to take the squad that competes astatine the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) world title successful Germany successful mid-August.

The apical 2 teams successful Dusseldorf will gain berths to the 2028 Los Angeles Games, wherever men’s and women’s emblem shot will make its Olympic debut.

“That would beryllium surreal,” Chenevert said of claiming an Olympic medal. “We don’t talk about it excessively much. We’re really focused connected the adjacent practice, connected the adjacent camp.

“But we do person this successful the backmost of our mind and it keeps america really motivated and really accountable.”

The six-foot-two protect backmost wasn’t 1 of the 28 players practising pinch the squad because he’s recovering from a ft sprain he suffered successful precocious January while playing a emblem crippled successful Quebec City.

It’s almost healed, but expert knows champion truthful he’s only taking portion successful meetings and watching practice.

“I want to beryllium pinch the team. I’m a team-player guy,” Chenevert, 29, said. “If we were playing the worlds correct now, I could beryllium playing. It’s much preventive for maine not to participate successful the camp.”

National squad caput coach Paul LaPolice was happy to person the erstwhile Laval University subordinate astatine camp, noting Chenevert was a starter connected past year’s 12-man nationalist emblem squad that won a bronze astatine the IFAF Americas Continental Championship successful Panama.

“He’s 1 of our champion players,” LaPolice said. “He’s big, physical, fast, sewage a batch of range. You want your DBs to person scope to beryllium capable to sound footballs down, truthful he does it.”

LaPolice besides pointed retired the doctor’s maturity and activity qualities.

In his 4th twelvemonth astatine Laval successful 2019, Chenevert was doing a full-time internship astatine hospitals while playing for the Rouge et Or. He’d decorativeness astatine 5 p.m. and title to practice.

The COVID-19 pandemic cancelled shot successful 2020 truthful Chenevert focused connected his aesculapian degree.

Now successful his 3rd twelvemonth arsenic a physician, he useful full-time astatine a session and besides attends semipermanent attraction accommodation successful Quebec City.

His outlet is emblem football, which he began playing successful 2020.

“I’m a protect back, truthful the portion of the crippled I for illustration is the passes and the defending,” he said. “Flag is simply this, minus the contact, truthful I emotion it better.”

Flag shot has 5 players per broadside connected a 70-yard by 25-yard field. There’s nary blocking aliases interaction allowed and the crippled moves quickly.

A caller nationalist squad is chosen each year. Up to 20 players will beryllium picked to be a June action campy successful California, wherever 12 will dress up the roster for the tourney successful Germany.

Receiver Daniel Petermann is aiming to beryllium among the fortunate dozen.

One of a number of campy participants pinch CFL experience, Petermann played 75 games complete 5 seasons pinch Winnipeg (2018-19), Ottawa (’21) and the B.C. Lions (’22-23).

The Stoney Creek, Ont., autochthonal is simply a individual trainer successful Burlington and coaches tackle shot astatine Hamilton’s Cathedral High School.

A standout receiver astatine McMaster University, Petermann began playing emblem shot successful Grade 4. After his CFL career, he took up touch football.

Now the 30-year-old is aiming to make the nationalist emblem squad aft he was asked past twelvemonth to effort retired by LaPolice, who was his violative co-ordinator pinch the Blue Bombers and his caput coach pinch the Redblacks.

“He called maine and I said, ‘Why not?’ I’m successful shape,” Petermann said, adding an Olympic acquisition was an incentive.

He hasn’t played a crippled yet, but he’s impressed pinch the accomplishment level, particularly erstwhile it comes to avoiding having your emblem grabbed by an opponent.

“It’s crazy to watch immoderate of those (Quebec) guys, they could get low. It’s nuts,” Petermann said.

“I’ve sewage to adhd that to my repertoire. I could do it, I’ve conscionable sewage to do it successful my head. I’m not utilized to doing that, I’m utilized to conscionable trying to make a cut.”

LaPolice expects his squad will beryllium competitive. It turned heads past twelvemonth by defeating the United States successful a crippled astatine the International Bowl. It was the Americans’ first nonaccomplishment successful 8 years.

If the U.S. reaches the last successful Germany, the top-three teams will unafraid Olympic berths because the Americans get 1 spot arsenic host. Other berths will beryllium disposable done the 2027 IFAF continental title and a last Olympic qualifier bid successful 2028.

This study by BERITAJA was first published May 2, 2026.