New Paralympic song ‘Champion’ celebrates resiliency and determination

You don’t have to win a gold medal to be a champion. 

That’s the message musician Paul DeRosa is sharing through his new song ‘Champion’. 

Featured during Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games coverage in Canada, DeRosa wrote the song following Tokyo 2020. His song ‘Shine’ was the theme song of the Canadian Paralympic Team for that Games.  

“Witnessing the athletes’ resilience and determination while they competed at the Tokyo Games last summer reignited my passion for writing music,” he said. “I realized that being a champion is far greater than winning a medal. It’s about our inner strength, our will to push harder when barriers appear. It is the essence of the Paralympic spirit.” 

He composed the new song with an aim of lifting up all listeners. 

“It is something that is deeply rooted in my heart and want to share with everyone, for them to have hope that anything is possible, and we all have our inner ‘champion’.” 

The English version is sung by DeRosa, while the French edition called ‘Toucher les étoiles’ is performed by Eva Avila who returns after voicing the Tokyo theme song as well. 

‘Champion’ can be heard throughout the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games broadcasts on CBC/Radio-Canada.