ParaTough Cup reaches magic $1 million mark in fundraising at Toronto event

The ParaTough Cup fuelled by Petro-Canada™ reached the $1 million mark in total fundraising following Thursday’s event at the Mattamy Athletic Centre which itself raised a single event record $132,000.

The ParaTough Cup is the flagship fundraising event of the Paralympic Foundation of Canada and celebrated its fourth anniversary at the Toronto stop. It attracted a record 20 teams.

‘’We feel awesome,’’ said Dean Brokop, Director, Paralympic Foundation of Canada. “”That we have been able to raise more than $1 million since we started the ParaTough Cup in 2017 is an incredible feeling. It was fantastic to be sold out with 20 teams, and to have so many of CPC’s corporate partners present.’’

It was also a highly competitive event with Canadian Tire 1 claiming the ParaTough Cup by one point over Osler and Toyota 1 which tied for second.

‘’It’s great to experience the hard work that our Paralympic athletes go through to excel at their sport,’’ said Maggie Aziz, the advisor of inclusive play programming with Canadian Tire Jumpstart. ’’This was my first time at this event and these sports are really hard but also a lot of fun. It was so exciting to compete against all the proud partners of the Canadian Paralympic Committee today.’’

Dominic Cozzolino of the Para ice hockey national team was the honorary captain for the Canada Tire 1 entry.

‘’It was an unbelievable experience,’’ said Cozzolino. ‘’Our group had so much enthusiasm and excitement to get the day going and there was no shortage of athleticism on display. It’s amazing to give this outlook on Paralympic sport and, overall, it’s just a lot of fun.’’

Other Paralympians and Para athletes on hand were two-time Paralympian Erin Latimer (alpine skiing), Tokyo 2020 hopeful Andrea Nelson (Para canoe), Para ice hockey players Kevin Rempel and Karl Ludwig. Olympic and Paralympic broadcaster Scott Russell of CBC Sports was the emcee.

‘’The aspect I love about this event is the participants trying Paralympic sport for the first time,’’ said Nelson. ‘’It’s nice to get everyone to understand what Para athletes do and how difficult these sport are.’’

Featuring teams of six people competing in Paralympic-inspired challenges like wheelchair basketball, sitting volleyball, and Para ice hockey, ParaTough Cup gives participants the unique chance to test out their skills while raising funds to grow the sport opportunities available to people with a disability.

Donations for ParaTough Cup are still being accepted HERE.

The Paralympic Foundation of Canada is the philanthropic arm of the Canadian Paralympic Committee and believes that every Canadian with a disability should be able to imagine themselves at the start line, regardless of ability. The Foundation raises funds to provide more Canadians with a disability the opportunity to be active in their communities and strive for success on the world stage.

For more information about ParaTough Cup fuelled by Petro-Canada™, please visit Paralympic.ca/foundation/paratough-cup.