Light, Camera, Action: Paralympians shine on TV

OTTAWA – When Paralympian Stefanie Reid won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Sports Host last month, it highlighted a growing trend in Canadian sports media.

Paralympic athletes are increasingly bringing their personalities, expertise, and voices into television roles as analysts, hosts, and storytellers, helping shape how audiences see both Para sport and disability.

For Canadian sprinter Marissa Papaconstantinou, the opportunity arrived sooner than expected. While preparing for CBC’s coverage of the Milano Cortina Paralympic Winter Games, the sports media graduate found herself on prime-time television alongside Paralympic legend Reid.

“It was not what I imagined being on prime-time television with my absolute idol,” said Papaconstantinou. “I learned so much from her. It was such an incredible experience.”

Papaconstantinou remembers competing at her first Paralympic Games in Rio in 2016 and hearing from friends and family who struggled to find coverage.

“I was in for a rude awakening,” said the 26-year-old blade runner. “There was not an easy way for people to consume Para sport during the Games.”

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That experience motivated her to help tell Paralympic stories and increase awareness of the movement.

Chris Wilson, head of CBC Sports, praised the network’s use of Paralympians during Milano Cortina. He said Paris set the table but the 2026 Games blew the doors open.

“It was a lot better than Paris in every way — from a sales perspective, from a content perspective, from who we had on air and the representation of Paralympians on the air,” he said.

Paralympic ice hockey legend Billy Bridges also joined CBC’s coverage as an analyst during the Games. The veteran forward said television was never part of his career plan until CBC approached him.

“It was never on my radar to do something like that,” said Bridges, who also competes in Para athletics and wheelchair curling.

The biggest adjustment was learning how quickly analysis must be delivered.

“When you’re on camera, it’s like, ‘Oh okay, so I don’t need these six pages of history and research on the team,’” he said.

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Paralympic snowboard champion Tyler Turner has taken an even bigger step into television as host of the adaptive sports series All In on AMI-TV. The show follows Turner as he tries a variety of adaptive sports while highlighting the athletes and communities behind them.

“Becoming a host and putting yourself out there and learning the industry, that has been the scariest part for me,” Turner said. “It has deepened my appreciation for broadcasting and its ability to expand awareness of Paralympic sport.”

Despite the growth of social media, television remains one of the most powerful ways to reach large audiences.

CBC’s increased use of Paralympians on air is helping create a new generation of role models, according to IPC President Andrew Parsons.

“Seeing athletes transition into broadcasting can have a powerful effect on young viewers,” said Parsons. “Visibility is so important.”

For Reid, Papaconstantinou, Bridges, and Turner, broadcasting is about more than a second career. It is another opportunity to represent their community, share authentic stories, and bring Paralympic sport into more Canadian homes.