Seriously ill athlete out of intensive care

By Ian Froese, Staff Contributor

The Manitoban wheelchair basketball athlete suddenly hospitalized due to a sudden illness Saturday is being removed from intensive care, said a statement released from Team Manitoba. 

With the father’s permission, Team Manitoba has revealed the name of the athlete is 16-year-old Kyle Bunskoek of Stonewall. The player’s family flew in to join him at a Halifax hospital.

The nature of the illness remains private to respect the family’s wishes. Sonja McVeigh, chief medical officer for the Games, called it a serious non-sport related illness in a press conference yesterday. The athlete, she said, was being “aggressively treated.”

Team Manitoba’s Sunday game was rescheduled to the next day because the player was taken ill. They fell to PEI 67 – 50 in the postponed game, but they bounced back later in the day to beat the home province 66 – 37.

Barry Moroz, interprovincial Games manager for Sport Manitoba, said the athlete currently remains in Halifax. He will not play in the Games.