Canada’s very own Reinaldo Rivas from Vaughan, Ontario took on the very important role of Technical Director at the 2023 PANAM Champs in Cartagena.
Written by Lolly Gillen
Reinaldo Rivas was born in Venezuela and immigrated to Canada in 2003. Before he started coaching at the Parkview Club and now the Richmond Hill Squash Club, he played #1 for Venezuela between 1991 and 2000. Although he never played on the PSA circuit, Rivas did compete in several CASA (Caribbean Area Squash Association) and South American championships over the years, reaching a high of top 5 in the Caribbean and #16 in South America. Ironically, last week numerous coaches and players at the 2023 Pan-American Championship were thrilled to reconnect with Rivas, still holding him in high regard as the “mega fit” speed demon.
Last week, Rivas held one of the most difficult and demanding tasks in hosting a Pan-American Squash Championship; the Technical Director. Rivas was single handily accountable for scheduling all the matches for the 7 events (men & women’s individual, men & women’s team, men’s, women’s & mixed doubles), receiving appeals, confirming seedings, arranging transportation for the entire technical team, etc. Rivas was the pivotal point of contact for all the referees, the players, the host (Colombia) and the FPS requiring him to be on site from 7am-10pm for seven gruelling days.
Adding more pressure to this demanding role, Cartagena temperatures were hovering over 39 degrees and on Day 5 experienced a freak electrical storm, one of its worst in years, causing a 4 hour power outage and court flooding. Rivas miraculously kept the show on the road, much to the delight of the 18 competing countries and especially for the hosting Colombian Squash Federation.
Fluent in both Spanish and English and a communication wizard, Rivas is regarded as one of the Federacion Pan-American de Squash (FPS)’ s most qualified and experienced Technical Directors. Rivas was the Technical Director for the 2019 Pan-American Junior Championships in Toronto and the 2021 Pan American Youth Games in Cali.
Ontario is proud to announce Reinaldo Rivas has been appointed the International Technical Director for squash at the upcoming 2023 PAN-AMERICAN GAMES in Santiago, Chile this fall.