WINNIPEG –
Emile Chenevert hopes to put on an Olympic medal round his neck in two years as an alternative of a stethoscope.
A household physician in Quebec Metropolis, Chenevert is attending the Canadian males’s flag soccer choice camp this weekend at Princess Auto Stadium.
The camp is considered one of two this 12 months that might be used to decide on the squad that competes on the Worldwide Federation of American Soccer (IFAF) world championship in Germany in mid-August.
The highest two groups in Dusseldorf will earn berths to the 2028 Los Angeles Video games, the place males’s and ladies’s flag soccer will make its Olympic debut.
“That might be surreal,” Chenevert stated of claiming an Olympic medal. “We don’t speak about it an excessive amount of. We’re actually targeted on the following observe, on the following camp.
“However we do have this at the back of our thoughts and it retains us actually motivated and actually accountable.”
The six-foot-two defensive again wasn’t one of many 28 gamers practising with the workforce as a result of he’s recovering from a foot sprain he suffered in late January whereas enjoying a flag sport in Quebec Metropolis.
It’s nearly healed, however physician is aware of finest so he’s solely collaborating in conferences and watching observe.
“I need to be with the workforce. I’m a team-player man,” Chenevert, 29, stated. “If we have been enjoying the worlds proper now, I might be enjoying. It’s extra preventive for me to not take part within the camp.”
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Nationwide workforce head coach Paul LaPolice was joyful to have the previous Laval College participant at camp, noting Chenevert was a starter on final 12 months’s 12-man nationwide flag workforce that gained a bronze on the IFAF Americas Continental Championship in Panama.
“He’s considered one of our greatest gamers,” LaPolice stated. “He’s huge, bodily, quick, received lots of vary. You need your DBs to have vary to have the ability to knock footballs down, so he does it.”
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LaPolice additionally identified the physician’s maturity and management qualities.
In his fourth 12 months at Laval in 2019, Chenevert was doing a full-time internship at hospitals whereas enjoying for the Rouge et Or. He’d end at 5 p.m. and race to observe.
The COVID-19 pandemic cancelled soccer in 2020 so Chenevert targeted on his medical diploma.
Now in his third 12 months as a doctor, he works full-time at a clinic and in addition attends long-term care services in Quebec Metropolis.
His outlet is flag soccer, which he started enjoying in 2020.
“I’m a defensive again, so the a part of the sport I like is the passes and the defending,” he stated. “Flag is solely this, minus the contact, so I find it irresistible higher.”
Flag soccer has 5 gamers per aspect on a 70-yard by 25-yard subject. There’s no blocking or contact allowed and the sport strikes rapidly.
A brand new nationwide workforce is chosen annually. As much as 20 gamers might be picked to attend a June choice camp in California, the place 12 will make up the roster for the event in Germany.
Receiver Daniel Petermann is aiming to be among the many fortunate dozen.
Certainly one of quite a lot of camp contributors with CFL expertise, Petermann performed 75 video games over 5 seasons with Winnipeg (2018-19), Ottawa (’21) and the B.C. Lions (’22-23).
The Stoney Creek, Ont., native is a private coach in Burlington and coaches deal with soccer at Hamilton’s Cathedral Excessive Faculty.
A standout receiver at McMaster College, Petermann started enjoying flag soccer in Grade 4. After his CFL profession, he took up contact soccer.
Now the 30-year-old is aiming to make the nationwide flag workforce after he was requested final 12 months to check out by LaPolice, who was his offensive co-ordinator with the Blue Bombers and his head coach with the Redblacks.
“He known as me and I stated, ‘Why not?’ I’m in form,” Petermann stated, including an Olympic expertise was an incentive.
He hasn’t performed a sport but, however he’s impressed with the talent stage, particularly in relation to avoiding having your flag grabbed by an opponent.
“It’s loopy to look at a few of these (Quebec) guys, they will get low. It’s nuts,” Petermann stated.
“I’ve received so as to add that to my repertoire. I can do it, I’ve simply received to do it in my head. I’m not used to doing that, I’m used to simply making an attempt to make a minimize.”
LaPolice expects his workforce might be aggressive. It turned heads final 12 months by defeating america in a sport on the Worldwide Bowl. It was the Individuals’ first loss in eight years.
If the U.S. reaches the ultimate in Germany, the top-three groups will safe Olympic berths as a result of the Individuals get one spot as host. Different berths might be accessible by means of the 2027 IFAF continental championship and a last Olympic qualifier collection in 2028.
This report by The Canadian Press was first printed Might 2, 2026.
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