For the first time, Canada’s winter Paralympians have been compensated equally to their Olympic counterparts for reaching the medal podium.
The Canadian Paralympic Committee on Thursday announced the distribution of $550,000 to 30 medallists from the Milano-Cortina Games in March through the Paralympic Performance Recognition program.
“This is a much-deserved recognition of Canada’s Paralympians for the years of hard work and dedication that went into each of their performances. Providing this equitable reward for their accomplishments reflects the growth of Paralympic sport and is a true signal of the value of an accessible, inclusive sport system.,” CPC CEO Karen O’Neill stated in a news release.
The PPR program was announced in January 2024. For the 2024 Summer Games in Paris, Canadian Paralympians received $20,000 for winning a gold medal, $15,000 for silver and $10,000 for bronze. A total of $535,000 was awarded.
The program, funded by the Paralympic Foundation of Canada, was created with initial contributions of more than $6 million to an endowment fund made possible through generous donations of $4 million from Sanjay Malaviya on behalf of the Malaviya Foundation and $2.02 million from the Government of Canada.
Previously, Canadian Olympians had received money for medals for more than two decades through a bonus program called the Athlete Excellence Fund, which is entirely funded through the Canadian Olympic Committee.
In March 2022, Malaviya, a healthcare technology entrepreneur from Hespeler, Ont., gave 130 Olympians and 53 Paralympians $5,000 each for winning a medal at the Tokyo and Beijing Games for a total of $1.2 million.
“I had the pleasure of speaking with Mr. Malaviya in 2022 after the Beijing Paralympics, and I was impressed with his down-to-earth personality and his dedication in supporting Paralympians,” said Para nordic skier Natalie Wilkie, who won two gold in Milano-Cortina, one silver and bronze. “I am so grateful to the Malaviya Foundation for making equal prize money possible.
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“This is a huge step towards equal recognition for our achievements. In addition to the acknowledgement, this money will help Paralympians continue to compete and focus on training.”
The Paralympic Performance Recognition program is an “important step” in recognizing athletes’ hard work and commitment, says Para alpine skier Kalle Eriksson, a three-time medallist in Italy.
“Competing at the world level in any sport requires athlete dedication, commitment, and skill to succeed and I am truly appreciative for this recognition to be extended to Paralympians and our performances,” added Para curler Ina Forrest.
Separate from the PPR program, the Malaviya Foundation also funds the Team Canada Podium Awards, which provides an additional $5,000 per medal earned to both Canadian Paralympians and Olympians in Milan Cortina.
The pay equity gap relating to funding for medals was thrust into the spotlight in the wake of the 2022 Beijing Winter Games. Media attention and athlete pressure was ratcheting to a different level as many wondered why Canadian Paralympians were not receiving money for medals when their Olympic counterparts were.
In an interview with CBC Sports in March 2022, O’Neill said the pay inequity for medals was such “an obvious gap” and that it was time to “get this done.”
O’Neill said the CPC looked at past Summer and Winter Games medal tallies to create a threshold to begin, and important build a model to ensure Paris wouldn’t be a one Games and done initiative and that it would be sustainable well into the future.
The United States and Australia first paid their Olympians and Paralympians equally at the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
