Previewing Milano Cortina 2026: Canada’s Para nordic skiers ready for Games  

OTTAWA – With recent Crystal Globe champions Mark Arendz and Natalie Wilkie leading the way, Para nordic skiers appear primed to be Canada’s medal engine at the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games set for Milano Cortina March 6-15.

Para nordic skiing includes two different sports: Para cross-country skiing and Para biathlon. Unlike many Olympic athletes, Paralympians frequently compete in both disciplines including Wilkie and Arendz.

The dynamic duo helped Para nordic skiing be Canada’s top medal producers at the last two Games with 14 in Beijing and 16 at PyeongChang. Canada is fielding a 15-member squad, including three guides among the eight first-time Paralympians.

A central figure behind that success was Brian McKeever, a 20-time Paralympic medallist, including 16 gold medals. He now serves as head coach of Canada’s Para cross-country skiing team.

Arendz, from Hartsville, PEI, is headed to his fifth Games with 12 medals earned so far in both biathlon and cross country. His strengths are the longer distances and in biathlon he is also almost always flawless in the shooting range.

‘’I feel I’ve set a tone for the last three seasons, especially on the biathlon side,” said Arendz with five career Crystal Globes including three in the last four years. ‘’Now my opponents know what the level is. Now it’s about trying to find what are the little details that will help me get another edge, because if I stay at the same level, I’ll be caught for sure.’’

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Wilkie, from Salmon Arm, B.C., is a seven-time Games medallist, all in cross country. But since Beijing 2022, she’s become one of the top biathletes. She earned her first career Crystal Globe this season in the women’s standing event.

Wilkie’s race rival and teammate Brittany Hudak and sit skier Collin Cameron, both multi-Games medallists, bring further podium potential, along with veterans Derek Zaplotinsky and Christina Picton.

‘’Knowing it’s my fourth Games I’m well aware of what to expect,’’ said Hudak, a three-time Games medallist from Prince Albert, Sask., told CBC Radio. ‘’When you’re on the starting line there’s always those same nerves, but I’ve learned to just focus on my performance.’’

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While Canada enters with many contenders, the international field remains deep in both disciplines.

Ukraine dominated the Beijing 2022 Games, frequently sweeping podiums, while the United States fields multi-sport Paralympic champion Oksana Masters in the women’s sit-ski category. Wilkie also faces strong competition from American Sydney Peterson, while Arendz’s challengers include France’s Benjamin Daviet and Germany’s Marco Maier.

Para nordic skiing competition will take place March 7-15 at the Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium located in the Val di Fiemme region of Italy. The schedule is as follows: 

March 7: Para Biathlon 12.5km Individual 
March 8: Para Cross-Country Sprint Classic
March 10: Para Biathlon 7.5km Sprint 
March 11: Para Cross-Country 20km Free
March 13: Para Biathlon Sprint Pursuit
March 14: Para Cross-Country Relays
March 15: Para Cross-Country Middle Distance 

With eight athletes making their Paralympic debut, Canada is assuring it remains a power on the trails long after the 2026 Games. For Joe Hutton, a guide for visually impaired racer Logan Lariviere of Lively, Ont., they couldn’t be more excited.

“I think we work very well together on and off the ski trails, which definitely helps in building that relationship as well and having that comfort level,” Hutton told CTV.

“Then the trust in him to me, that I know what he’s capable of so that we’re able to kind of work at that highest level possible.”

Whether in visually impaired events or across the program, that teamwork continues to make Canada’s Para nordic skiing squad a global powerhouse.