A Record-Breaking Winter in Italy
The 2026 Winter Paralympics in Italy wrapped up as one of the most successful Games in the event's history, and International Paralympic Committee president Andrew Parsons is already thinking about what comes next.
Parsons, who has led the IPC since 2017, spoke openly about the momentum coming out of the Italian Games — and where he believes para sport still has room to grow.
More Women on the Podium
One of Parsons' clearest priorities heading into the next cycle is increasing women's representation at the Paralympics. While the Games have made significant strides in gender equity over the past decade, Parsons says the work isn't done.
"We want to see more women competing at the highest level," he said, pointing to both participation rates at the grassroots level and the number of women's events on the Paralympic program as areas for improvement.
For Canadian fans, this is a welcome direction. Canada has long punched above its weight in para sport — from wheelchair curling to alpine skiing to sledge hockey — and Canadian women have been central to that success. Athletes like sit-skier Mollie Jepsen and para Nordic skier Natalie Wilkie have carried the maple leaf with distinction on winter courses around the world.
Expanding the Program
Beyond gender equity, Parsons also wants to see more sports added to the Paralympic lineup. As para athletics continues to grow globally, new disciplines are making cases for inclusion — and the IPC is listening.
The process for adding sports is rigorous, requiring demonstrated global participation, athlete classification systems, and governance structures. But Parsons signalled that the IPC is open to evolution, particularly as new generations of para athletes emerge from countries that historically had little Paralympic presence.
Canada's Para Sport Infrastructure
Canada is well-positioned to benefit from this growth. The Canadian Paralympic Committee has invested heavily in national training programs, and para sport has an increasingly visible profile in the country — partly thanks to strong broadcast coverage and social media followings that have built genuine fan bases around para athletes.
With the 2028 Summer Paralympics in Los Angeles on the horizon, Canadian coaches and athletes are already in planning mode. The lessons from Italy — what worked, what didn't, and where opportunities were left on the table — will feed directly into preparation.
Looking Ahead
For Parsons, the record-breaking numbers in Italy aren't a ceiling — they're a baseline. Viewership was up, athlete entries were strong, and public engagement with para sport continues to climb year over year.
The IPC's broader vision aligns with a shift already underway in how sports fans, broadcasters, and sponsors think about the Paralympics: not as a secondary event to the Olympics, but as a world-class competition worthy of its own spotlight.
For Canadian para athletes training right now — many of them in facilities across the country, from Vancouver to Ottawa to Halifax — that recognition matters. It means more funding, more visibility, and more young Canadians with disabilities seeing a path into high-performance sport.
Source: CBC Sports / CBC Top Stories
