Story #8: George Boshko - Athlete, Coach, Builder

Born in 1946 in Munich, Germany, George Boshko came to Canada as an 11-year-old with his family. In 1966, while at the University of Manitoba, George was convinced to take part in a wheelchair basketball demo event and was quickly hooked. He represented Canada in the 1967 Pan Am Games in Winnipeg, the 1968 Games in Israel, the first National Wheelchair Basketball Championships in Canada in 1968, the Para Pan Am Games in Lima, Peru, the 1976 Olympiad in Toronto and many other international competitions. Because he competed at a time when an athlete had to be in at least 5 events to be on an international team, George also competed in athletics, discus, shot put, javelin, pentathlon, 1500m track, and swimming.

George is known as a team player who does what needs to be done to have the team function effectively. Though he has retired from competitive sport, George has given back to the wheelchair sports community by coaching many women’s and junior’s teams and attending numerous BC Winter Games events as a member of the coaching staff. For his outstanding contributions, George was named BCWBS Volunteer of the Year in 2000, BCWSA Coach of the Year in 1996 and has also been inducted into the Canadian Wheelchair Basketball Hall of Fame.

For our 8th story, we highlight the contributions of George Boshko and provide a photo retrospective of his career.

Taking the tip-off!

Though remembered as a basketball player, George was also a swimmer.
George has coached numerous women's and junior's teams.

As an athlete, George attended the Para Pan Am Games in Israel in 1968