Josh Vander Vies
Josh Vander Vies (born December 28, 1984) is a Canadian lawyer and former Paralympic athlete. He won a bronze medal for doubles boccia at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London before retiring.

Early life
Vander Vies was born on December 28, 1984, in Sarnia, Ontario to parents Gary and Sandy. He was born without fully formed arms or legs. He is a graduate of High Park French Immersion School and Northern Collegiate Institute. He earned a diploma in general arts and science from Lambton College before enrolling at the University of Western Ontario.

Career
Vander Vies made his international debut in Boccia at the 2003 World Cup in Christchurch, New Zealand. Following this, he qualified for the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens but failed to medal in his debut. He was then elected to the International Boccia Committee as an Athlete Representative and competed at the 2006 Boccia World Championships. As a law student at the University of British Columbia, Vander Vies also competed internationally at the 2010 World Championship and 2011 World Cup. In 2010, he was appointed one of 25 torch bearers prior to the 2010 Winter Paralympics.

After failing to qualify for the 2008 Summer Paralympics, Vander Vies returned to the Paralympics in 2012 for doubles boccia. He played boccia Mixed Pairs-BC4 alongside Marco Dispaltro and won a bronze medal against Great Britain by a score of 8–2. Following the Games, Vander Vies retired from the sport but remained president of Athletes CAN, the association of Canada's national team athletes.

In 2020, Vander Vies was named Canada's assistant chef de mission during the 2020 Summer Paralympics. The following year, he announced he was running for the Liberal Party in the riding of Vancouver East at the next federal election. The election was held on September 20, 2021; Vander Vies came second to New Democratic incumbent Jenny Kwan.

References

External links
 
 

Living people
Sportspeople from Sarnia
Lawyers in British Columbia
Paralympic boccia players for Canada
Boccia players at the 2012 Summer Paralympics
Boccia players at the 2004 Summer Paralympics
Medalists at the 2012 Summer Paralympics
Paralympic bronze medalists for Canada
1984 births
Canadian lawyers
Liberal Party of Canada candidates for the Canadian House of Commons