RICHMOND, B.C. — The host Canadian squad opened up the 2016 Canada Cup international wheelchair rugby tournament with a 54-44 win over Sweden on Thursday.
The two countries were tied 26-26 at halftime before Canada turned it on in the second half at the seven-nation event being held at the Richmond Olympic Oval.
Canada is ranked No. 1 in the world for the first time in 13 years while Sweden is No. 6.
The Canadians took over the top spot in the wheelchair rugby world after a successful campaign in 2015. They won the Parapan American Games in the summer, then claimed gold at the world wheelchair rugby challenge. Canada won silver at the 2012 Paralympics in London and is using the Canada Cup as a tune-up for this year's Games in Rio.
Canada plays No. 5 Great Britain on Friday.
Earlier Thursday, No. 2 United States beat Great Britain 50-48 in the tournament opener while fourth-ranked Australia downed No. 3 Japan 63-58. Switzerland, ranked 14th in the world, rounds out the competition.
