Meet Team PEI 2026 Basketball

March 10, 2026

This August, Team PEI will be represented by 46 athletes and 25 coaches and mission staff at the 2026 Special Olympics Canada Summer Games in Medicine Hat, Alberta. Athletes will be competing in 8 sports - Athletics, Basketball, Bocce, Golf, Powerlifting, Soccer, Softball and Swimming. For the first time ever Special Olympics PEI is sending a Basketball team to a National Games!

Back Row: Allan Gills (Assistant Coach), Zachary Hebert, Braden Gaudet, Conner Arsenault, Troy Livingstone (Head Coach)

Front Row: Jacob MacNeill, Ty MacLeod, Jennifer Hickox, Rick Chan, Rachael Loggie

Missing: Mylene Arsenault (Assistant Coach)

In addition to being the first time PEI will be represented on the National stage on the Basketball court, Team PEI 2026 Basketball also has several athletes, and all 3 coaches, who are attending their first Special Olympics Canada Games. Despite being rookies on Team PEI, these athletes and coaches are no stranger to competition, and have long begun their preparations.

Team PEI 2026 Basketball athletes or coaches who are attending their first Special Olympics Canada Games

Team PEI 2026's Basketball Head Coach, Troy Livingstone, is relatively new to Special Olympics. Troy began volunteering four years ago when he started coaching the Charlottetown Basketball program. Team PEI Basketball experienced early success at the Special Olympics Nova Scotia Provincial Summer Games in 2022. At their first ever Provincial Games Team PEI took home the Gold, a moment that remains a favourite memory for many of the athletes.

My favourite Special Olympics moment was when I was part of Team PEI Basketball in 2022, at the Special Olympics Provincial Summer Games in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. It was the first time PEI had a basketball team enter and we came home with GOLD.

Conner Arsenault, Team PEI Basketball

Along with Head Coach, Troy, Team PEI 2026 has two dedicated Assistant Coaches, Allan Gillis and Mylene Arsenault. Allan has been involved with Special Olympics for 9 years, and credits the athletes for making him want to be involved.

They embodied the true meaning and love of sport while being supportive of teammates as well as opponents. Coming into Special Olympics with fifteen years of coaching within mainstream sports, I am grateful athletes of Special Olympics helped change my coaching perspective from one of ‘what is an athlete doing wrong’ to one of how can I best support an athlete so they improve in their sport. My life has been enriched via connections made through Special Olympics.

Allan Gillis, Team PEI 2026 Basketball Assistant Coach

Mylene Arsenault is much more new as a volunteering, having just 2 years experience. She first got involved with Special Olympics after working closely with children with disabilities. Mylene says that Special Olympics offered a way to use her passion to support athletes of all abilities.

What I didn’t expect was how much they would change my life. Coaching these athletes has taught me more about determination, courage, and pure joy than I ever imagined. Watching them grow, not just as athletes, but as confident, capable individuals, has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Special Olympics PEI isn’t just an organization. It’s a family, and I’m incredibly proud and grateful to be a part of it.

Mylene Arsenault, Team PEI 2026 Basketball Assistant Coach

One of the newest athletes on Team PEI 2026 Basketball is Zachary Hebert. Zachary first got involved with Special Olympics 2 years ago after graduating from High School. He wanted to keep playing sports, and found that Special Olympics gave him the opportunity to do just that. Through Special Olympics Zachary has tried different sports, stayed active, and has found a supportive community.

Zachary's teammate, Jacob MacNeill, is also attending his first Special Olympics Canada Games. Jacob has been an athlete for 6 years, and got involved because he wanted to try something different. Jacob says that he is looking forward to meeting new people from different provinces, and wearing the Team PEI Basketball uniform.

Participating in Special Olympics has taught me to follow the rules. It has taught be about respect and to be respectful. It has taught me that it is ok to lose a game, as long as I have fun and it has taught me to support my teammates. Special Olympics has also taught me how to make friends.

Jacob MacNeill

Team PEI 2026 Basketball is excited for the Special Olympics Canada Summer Games, and are looking forward to the opportunity to represent PEI.

I am so proud and honoured to be a part of Team PEI 2026 Basketball. I will always try my best in everything I do.

Jennifer Hickox, Team PEI 2026 Basketball

Support Team PEI 2026

If you would like to support Team PEI 2026 Basketball, please consider Drafting and Athlete. The Team PEI Draft an Athlete program allows supporters of the Special Olympics movement to fund a Team PEI athlete’s journey to National Games.