Kurt Oatway motivated for successful Paralympic Games return in 2026

TORONTO – Watching the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games from home wasn’t easy for Para alpine skier Kurt Oatway.

Just over a month before the start of the Beijing Games, the Calgary resident was seriously injured in a crash at the world championships held in Norway. He broke his collarbone, fractured ribs, and tore ligaments which ended his season.

While he was delighted to see his teammates capture six medals at the Games including a gold, he was confident he was primed for a big performance in the Chinese capital.

‘’It was tough watching the Beijing Games from home,’’ said Oatway this past June at the CPC media summit in Toronto. ‘’But it gave me motivation. If I hadn’t been injured, I was confident I could have done well. Now four years later I get another chance to prove that.’’

At 41 years old, Oatway is going into Milano Cortina 2026 on fire. He delivered one of the best seasons of his career in 2024-25 with nine World Cup medals including three victories.

Oatway, the downhill sit skiing Paralympic champion in 2018, has been alpine skiing since he was five. He started sit-skiing in 2010 after an accident. In September 2007, while on a university field trip studying sedimentary environments in Utah, Oatway was injured in a fall.

‘’It’s intense,’’ he said about his sport. ‘’Two minutes on the course can feel like two hours. It’s a sport built for adrenaline seekers.’’

It can also hit the pocketbook. Oatway says high performance athletes in his sport in Canada need to work hard to find federal and provincial grants that are available as well as support from clubs and communities.

‘’Even in able-bodied skiing, the expenses quickly add up with skis, boots, helmets and clothing,’’ he said. ‘’My sit-ski alone costs around $30,000. The support we get is vital to ensure the sport doesn’t only become accessible to the wealthy.’’

Community has been crucial in Oatway’s journey to Para alpine skiing success. In those early days after his accident, he says local clubs and volunteers were a constant in his rediscovery of his passion back home in Mission Ridge, Sask.

Oatway, also a member of the 2014 Paralympic Games team, now gives back as he shares his story with youth, reminding them that life can happen when you’re busy making other plans.

‘’You think you’re going to do one thing and then life takes you in another direction. Sometimes it comes full circle.’’

He hopes family and friends will attend his big races this March while perhaps hinting at retirement after the Games.

‘’They were there at the start. They should be there for the end.’’