Who Am I?
My name is Alison Levine, I was born and raised in Montreal, Canada, and am 34 years old. I am a 3x Paralympian in the sport of boccia, having competed in Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020, and Paris 2024. Boccia is a paralympic sport of precision, concentration, and muscle control. I play in the BC4 category which is for athletes with severe disabilities affecting the whole body, other than cerebral palsy. In my case, I have a degenerative neuromuscular disorder that causes weakness and spasticity in all my muscles. I was born what appeared to be perfectly healthy and started exhibiting noticeable symptoms around the age of twelve. I have played many adapted sports in the past from wheelchair basketball, sledge hockey, and wheelchair rugby but now concentrate on boccia as it is physically the only sport suited for my level of disability. I live a very different life than most people but in my opinion, a great one. As John Milton said: "The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell or a hell of heaven..." That is how I choose to live my life. While dealing with a debilitating condition that robs me of my independence, I make the best of it. If it were not for my disability I would probably never have had the opportunity or honor to represent my country or get to spend my days playing a sport I love. Paralympic sport requires me to push through barriers to achieve my goals, allows me to be proud of who I am no matter how I look, and gives me the courage to be the best that I can be.
Because sport has benefitted me in so many ways, I feel it is my duty to give back to the para sport community. I am a member of the Boccia Canada athletes council, where we report to the Boccia Canada board to share an athlete’s perspective and give input to the organization to ensure an athlete-centered approach. I am the boccia representative to AthletesCan, an organization that represents all national team athletes across all sports, using our collective voice on key issues and initiatives in sport. Furthermore, I was elected to the Canadian Paralympic Committee's athletes council, representing all Canadian Paralympians within the organization. Finally, it is my greatest Honour to have been appointed to the Ministerial Athlete Advisory Committe, where I work with other athletes, Sport Canada, and the Honourable Minister of Sport to ensure that the Canadian sport system is safe, inclusive, and athlete focused