Record season for the ParaToughCup capped by historic Toronto stop 

The 2025-26 ParaTough Cup season ended on a high, with Toronto delivering a record-breaking day and proving that the momentum behind Para sport in Canada is only getting stronger. 

The Toronto stop, held April 30 at the Mattamy Athletic Centre, raised $200,420, the most raised at a single Toronto event. That brought the season total to $725,000 across four cities, another record for the series. Since the ParaTough Cup’s debut in 2017, the series has now surpassed $3.2 million raised across 27 events in support of Para sport in Canada. 

The sold-out event welcomed 20 teams and over 150 participants for a day that went well beyond fundraising. Teams competed in Para ice hockey, wheelchair basketball, and sitting volleyball, while a visual impairment experience station gave participants a firsthand look at the skill, tactics, and talent that define Para sport. Paralympians led sport demonstrations and fireside conversations throughout the day, sharing their experiences and connecting with participants in ways that reached far beyond the competition floor. 

“Events like this build excitement and awareness around Para sport. More people are seeing it, trying it and getting excited about it. Then it becomes real. At its core, it’s still sport.” – Darda Sales, Paralympian, wheelchair basketball 

That sense of realness is at the heart of what Darda believes the ParaTough Cup does best. When someone tries Para sport for the first time, something tends to shift. The athleticism, the competition, the pure enjoyment of play, it has a way of closing the distance between observer and participant. Adaptive sport isn’t just for people with a disability. When able-bodied participants step onto that court, they aren’t just learning about Para sport. They’re part of growing it. 

“I’ve been part of the Toronto event since the early days and it just keeps growing, more teams, more support, and a bigger impact. Raising money matters but just as important is the message we’re spreading about Para sport.” - Darek Symonowicz, Paralympian, sitting volleyball 

For Darek, the growth shows up in ways that don’t always make it into a headline. After years at the Toronto event, he’s started to recognize faces in the crowd, participants who came once, felt something, and kept coming back. And every year alongside them, new faces walk through the door for the first time. That balance of familiar and new is what a growing movement looks like. 

The Toronto event brought together teams from Canadian Tire, Petro-Canada, Air Canada, Pfizer Canada, Fasken, CBC, Sobeys, Bell, General Mills, Tim Hortons, Accenture, Toyota Canada, and LetkoBrosseau. Paralympians Josh Dueck, Dominic Cozzolino, Tyler McGregor, Todd Nicholson, Greg Westlake, Adam Lancia, Tamara Steeves, Darda Sales, Zac Madell, Shayne Smith, Jessica Tuomela, Mac Marcoux, Renee Foessel, and Darek Symonowicz were on hand throughout the day. 

On the competition floor, The Collective/Le Collectif placed first overall, followed by Edison Engineers in second and EllisDon and Partners in third. EllisDon and Partners won the Parallel Cup for the most amount of fundraising. Four participants raised more than $5,000: Robert Cassius de Linval of The Collective/ Le Collectif raised $6,650, K Paez of EllisDon and Partners raised $6,500, EdigioMosca of EllisDon and Partners raised $6,470, and Cara Wilkie of The Collective/Le Collectif raised $5,265. 

Funds raised through the ParaTough Cup support Para athletes at every stage, from community programs to the Paralympic Games. 

The 2026-27 ParaTough Cup season is set to begin this October in Vancouver.