She’s played all across the globe in the WNBA, EuroLeague, Australian National Basketball League, and every other place one can play. Bridget Carleton was still glad to bring those experiences home to Canada. Now, as a member of the Canadian team bound for Olympic Games Paris 2024, she feels pride in her home country when she puts on that jersey.
“I think it starts there, just being really proud of Canada, what we stand for, the culture around our country. I’ve travelled so much since high school, basically. Being able to bring that everywhere I’ve gone and then being able to always come back and represent Canada, it just means the world to me because of how proud I am.”. It’s pretty surreal to be able to represent that on the biggest stage. My family instilled it in me at a young age,” Carleton told Olympics.com.
Once Carleton heard from the Canadian coach and general manager, she texted her parents. They were, of course, quite excited for their daughter’s accomplishment, but Carleton said they were feeling some relief from more practical concerns.
“They’re like, thank goodness, because we have flights booked, so thank goodness you’re on the team!” Carleton said with a laugh. “They’re really excited, and they’re really proud of me. And I’m excited for them because I was in Tokyo, but they weren’t able to come, obviously, because of the pandemic. They’re super excited that they’re able to experience this with me and cheer me on.”
Since any National Olympic Committee has the exclusive competencies to represent its country at the Olympic Games, participation in the Paris Games shall be based on the athletes’ choice of NOC for representation in its delegation at Paris 2024.