Canada on track for 200th Winter Paralympic medal at Milano Cortina 2026

CORTINA, Italy – The Canadian Paralympic Team is on track to reach a major milestone at the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games as its athletes get into action on Saturday.

Since the inaugural Paralympic Winter Games in 1976, Canada has compiled 188 medals over the first 13 Games and is just 12 short of the magical 200-podium mark.

That ranks Canada seventh overall in total medals. Norway, USA and Austria are ranked 1-2-3, while five countries have surpassed 200 so far.

At the past four Games, Canada has won 25 medals at Beijing 2022, a team record 28 at PyeongChang 2018, 16 at Sochi 2014, and 19 at Vancouver 2010. Canada ranked third overall at each of those Games.

Para alpine skiers have earned the most medals for Canada with 115 followed by Para nordic skiing (which includes Para biathlon and Para cross-country skiing) with 59. Canada’s Para ice hockey team has six medals since the sport joined the Games in 1994.

In wheelchair curling, Canada has reached the podium at all five Games since the sport became official in 2006. Canada won its first three Para snowboard medals at Beijing 2022.

Canada is also one of only three countries along with Norway and France to earn at least one gold medal at every Winter Games so far. This year the 50-member Canadian team is fielding strong medal contenders in all six sports – wheelchair curling, Para ice hockey, Para snowboard, Para nordic skiing (biathlon and cross country skiing), and Para alpine skiing.

The Para nordic squad, Canada’s top medal producer at the last two Games, is one medal shy of 60 all-time. The team has won 13 medals in biathlon and 46 in cross-country skiing.

Brian McKeever, now head coach of the national team, has 20 of those medals while current team members Mark Arendz and Natalie Wilkie follow at 12 and seven respectively.

Meanwhile in Para ice hockey there is a list of players closing in on some career achievements, including:

• Greg Westlake of Oakville, Ont. will become the third Canadian to compete at six Paralympic Games, summer or winter. The other two are Brian McKeever in Para nordic skiing and André Beaudoin in Para athletics.

• In addition, Westlake, Canada’s second all time leading scorer, is two assists short of the 200-career mark with the national team.

• Adam Dixon of Midland, Ont., entering his fifth Games, is about to surpass women’s national team member Jayna Hefford in all time games played for Hockey Canada. They are both tied at 267 games behind Hailey Wickenheiser at 276.

• Hockey team captain (and co-captain of the Canadian Paralympic Team) Tyler McGregor of London, Ont., at his fourth Games, needs one game played to reach 200 for his career while Anton Jacobs-Webb of Gatineau, Que., needs two games for 100.

• Dominic Cozzolino of Mississauga, Ont. is seven points from 200 in his career while Liam Hickey of St. John’s N.L. is at 186 points.  

• James Dunn of Wallacetown, Ont. is two goals short of 50 for his career.

With Milano Cortina being the 50^th anniversary of the first Paralympic Winter Games, Canadian athletes look to set new benchmarks for future Paralympians.