Sudbury basketball player takes torch from father at Olympics

It’s been a busy start to the summer for Sudbury basketball player Syla Swords. 

Last month, she finished high school. Next month, she’ll become the youngest basketball player ever to represent Canada at the Olympics.

Swords was one of 12 players named to the Olympic roster on July 2.

Although the six-foot guard finished her high school career in New York with the Long Island Lutheran Girls Basketball, she grew up playing in Sudbury, and says representing Canada has been a lifelong dream.

“Playing for Team Canada’s always been my ‘why’ for basketball,” she told CBC Sudbury. 

That’s not surprising, seeing as her father, Shawn Swords, represented Canada’s men’s team 24 years ago at the Sydney Games. Syla grew up seeing her father’s Team Canada jersey hanging in the Laurentian University gym, she said.

“I always wanted my own [jersey] after hearing his stories,” Syla said. “I didn’t think it would be this early.”

She says her father has been giving advice and telling her how much he cherished his Olympic experience.

“He still gets emotional speaking about it, about the opening ceremonies and just the unity of the entire event, how special it is to represent your country at such a high level,” Syla said. “So I’m really excited to just have some type of feeling that we can share with that.”

In an interview for Canada Basketball last month, Shawn, Syla and younger sister Savannah spoke about their family’s passion for the game.

“To share a sport, it’s meaningful,” Shawn said, fighting back tears.

Syla is now in Belgium, training and playing exhibition games with the national team in preparation for the Paris Olympics, which start July 26. 

Having played with the national senior team for the last two years, she says it feels like a regular training camp right now.

“I think it won’t actually hit me until we get to the Olympics and hear the Canadian national anthem before a game,” she said.

At 18, Syla is ranked fourth in ESPN’s 2024 ranking of women’s basketball prospects. Next year, she’ll play basketball for the University of Michigan, where she plans to study business.

Canada’s women’s team is currently ranked fifth in the world by FIBA, the world governing body for the sport. The team placed third in the FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualification Tournament in February.