Canadian Paralympic Committee CEO Karen O’Neill acknowledged that Canada’s performance at the Milan Cortina Paralympics was not the same as in years past.
Canada finished eighth on the gold medal list with just three. In terms of total medals, Canada is sixth (four silver, eight bronze). By comparison, Canada had 25 medals at the 2022 Beijing Games with eight golds, finishing third on the gold medal tally for the fourth consecutive Paralympics.
O’Neill was quick to say how proud he was of the group, but cited factors such as “accidents and injuries”, plus Russia coming back into the fold. The Russians won 12 medals with eight golds – ahead of only China (15 golds) and the United States (13 golds).
“A little bit different but still really, really happy with how the team did,” O’Neill said. “I would say it’s a testament to how fast and how the level of competition is evolving around the world for the Paralympics right now.
“I’m going to say we have a record number of top-five, top-eight (finishes) and it’s a really good moment to see how much the world is catching up and what the competition levels are like.”
As for the future, O’Neill emphasized the importance of making strong performances “repeatable.” He pointed to first-time medalists, as well as top-five and top-eight finishes, in judging the strength of the talent pool.
But a hot topic in the national sports sector has also earned a mention.
“Continuing what we’re doing, investment is key,” O’Neill said. “We are incredibly grateful for government investment and corporate investment, but we definitely need to invest more if we are going to continue to perform on the world stage.
“It’s clear that we are here with the focus and intent for many countries around the world to continue to grow our sport in Canada, invest in the sport and continue to add to some of the great investments already in place.
O’Neill’s call for investment was echoed by Canadian Olympic Committee CEO David Shoemaker after the Olympics, which saw Canada finish eighth in the overall medal count with 21 — with Russia out of the fold.
Get breaking national news
Get breaking Canada news delivered to your inbox so you never miss a trending story as it happens.
O’Neill said the funding will help train, hire world-class coaches and help athletes get talented athletes to competitions and keep up with the quality of competition equipment.
“As a whole sports system, core funding hasn’t increased nearly as much as it has in the past, it’s been about 18 years now,” he said. “So you have a lot of sports organizations trying to do more with less. And when that core funding doesn’t increase, it’s tough to continue to compete on the world stage.
“What I would say at the core funding level is, we absolutely need to do that. And quite frankly, we know that it’s going to take a lot of money for the system and the athletes to be able to participate fully and without any concerns.”
Nordic ski star Natalie Wilkie shone brightly for Canada with four medals, and two of the three golds – the wheelchair curling team won another. Fellow Nordic ski star Mark Arendz added two bronzes, while para alpine skier Calle Erickson and guide Sierra Smith won three medals in their Paralympic debuts.
Canada’s ice hockey team took silver on Sunday, with Mikaela Gosselin and Kurt Ottway each adding an alpine bronze, Brittany Hudak a Nordic skiing bronze and Tyler Turner a bronze in men’s snowboard cross. Entering as the defending champion, Turner was tangled in the final but Japan’s Junta Kosuda was disqualified for causing a collision and took bronze.
Canada lost a pair of medals when six-time medalist and alpine star Molly Jepsen exited the Games early with a knee injury.
O’Neill pointed to the atmosphere following Canada’s curling win — its first gold in the event since 2014 and fourth since its inception in 2006 — as an example of the importance of the sport in Canada.
“There wasn’t a dry eye in the house,” she said. “So when you really look at the influence and power of sports, especially in the world we’re in today, it transcends any kind of boundaries or differences that we perceive on a day-to-day basis and really unites us.
“And I would say that as a country we need more than ever. And the investment of some of the best representatives and ambassadors on behalf of Canada, these terrific athletes here.”
© 2026 The Canadian Press
(tags to translate)Paralympic Games
