World Weightlifting Championships

On October 16-27, 2013 the World Weightlifting Championships were held in the beautiful city of Wroclaw, Poland. Dr. Merepeza was accredited with the Canadian National Team. The team consisted of four male and three female lifters and four coaches. The team did well and one female lifter, Dr. Marie-Eve Beauchemin-Nadeau form Quebec took sixth place. It was a very exciting competition and Dr. Beauchemin-Nadeau made a technical error that cost her the 5th place. She is a talented lifter and will certainly improve her ranking in future competitions.

International Sports Events

Olympic Games 2012 London, England

July 30, 2012 porthopesportsrehab

Olympic Games 2012 London, England

Dr. Merepeza participated at these Olympic Games as a fully accredited Chiropractor with the Albanian Olympic Team. It was a very exciting event overall and it was exciting to be part of the Games once again.

Dr. Merepeza oversaw the whole delegation which had participants in many sports including athletics, swimming (both his favourites), judo, shooting, wrestling and of course weightlifting. The team did relatively well but came short of medals which they were expecting to win at least two. Caring for athletes for a multitude of sports is exciting as you see different kinds of injuries and conditions however is also challenging because they train and compete at different venues and schedules. It makes for long days moving from venue to venue with each group of athletes. Overall it was a “spectacular experience” that he will remember for a “long time”.

Local Sports Events

OFSAA Rugby 2012

June 10, 2012 porthopesportsrehab

OFSAA Rugby 2012

Once again we were asked to provide medical services for OFSAA Rugby 2012 championship that took place in Cobourg ON June 7th, 8th and 9th 2012. Dr. Merepeza organized the Medical Team that included four Sport Chiropractors, one Physiotherapist, two Kinesiologists, two Massage Therapists and a Naturopath. From our Clinic there was Dr. Merepeza, Dr. Fritsch, RMT Elizabeth Williams, Brandon Jielson (our McMaster University Kinesiology Intern) and Tyler Allen (Guelph Universtity Kinesiologist Intern).

The event was busy with injuries as can be expected with a sport such as rugby. We were proud to be part of this event that was organized very well by St. Mary’s Secondary School and had teams competing from all over Ontario. Thanks to all the team members who did an outstanding job and received praises from organizers, coaching staff and players.

International Sports Events

PAN AM Weightlifting Championships

May 20, 2012 porthopesportsrehab

PAN AM Weightlifting Championships

London Olympic Qualifier; Junior World Weightlifting Championships, Antigua, Guatemala

This event was held in the beautiful city of Antigua (UNESCO World Heritage Site) In Guatemala from May 10th -19th 2012. Dr. Alban Merepeza worked as a chiropractor with the Canadian National Weightlifting Team. This was the first time that Dr. Merepeza was working with The Canadian Team and overall it was a great experience. This event was to determine the Continental qualifiers for the London Olympic games and as such had particular importance. The aim was to qualify another Canadian male weightlifter and for this purpose the delegations was 26 persons strong. The Team did relatively well but fell short of a few points of qualifying a male for London. Nevertheless, there will be three female weightlifters representing Canada at the Olympic Games in London.

National Sports Events

Swimming Olympic and Paralympic Trials

April 3, 2012 porthopesportsrehab

Swimming Olympic and Paralympic Trials, Montreal, Canada

Swim Canada held its trials competition to determine who will make the Canadian Swim Team to represent the country in London 2012 Olympic Games. Dr. Merepeza participated as the chiropractor for the Whitby Swim Team. It was a great event that took place March 26th-April 1st 2012 in Montreal, Canada. The swimmers did well and several achieved PB times and Isac Buckley made the Swim Canada Team for the Paraolympic Games in London 2012. Pictured right: Dr. Merepeza with 100m Backstroke finalist Kristina Steins and 50m free style finalist Jen Backberger at the Canadian Olympic Swim Qualifiers in Montreal, Quebec.

Local Sports Events, National Sports Events

OFSAA Wrestling 2012

March 8, 2012 porthopesportsrehab

OFSAA Wrestling 2012 Peterborough, Ontario

On March 6-7 2012 OFSAA wrestling competition was held in Peterborough Ontario. Dr. Merepeza was asked to put together a multidisciplinary medical team to service the event. The team was comprised of ten chiropractors, three physiotherapists, two kinesiologists and two massage therapists. From our clinic there were Elizabeth Williams RMT, Andrew Fagan CKin, Louisa Von Walderberg (our University of Waterloo Kinesiology Intern) and Dr. Alban Merepeza. The event was very exciting in many levels and very busy. Over 900 wrestlers from all over Ontario competed in over 1500 matches. The same team will be providing medical services for OFSAA Rugby 2012 which will be taking place on June 7-9 in Cobourg, Ontario. Well done team!

International Sports Events

XVI PAN AM GAMES

October 30, 2011 porthopesportsrehab

XVI PAN AM GAMES Guadalajara Mexico, 2011

Dr. Merepeza had the privilege to serve for COPAG medical services during these games. He, along with over 30 sport chiropractic specialists were part of the core medical team. It was one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences for him. The games were very well organized and the Mexican hosts were very friendly.

Dr. Merepeza had a chance to serve in a few venues such as Gymnastics, Aquatics, Basketball and his favourite, Track and Field. He got to use his Spanish language skills for the first time in his career in a clinical setting as he served athletes from a multitude of countries. He is grateful to FICS organization that invited him to be part of these Games.