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.

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. 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 incumbent New Democratic Party MP Jenny Kwan.