Canadians seek podium in Paris amid tougher Paralympic competition

Paralympic Games medals have become harder for Canadians to win, which makes them precious in Paris.

Canada's 126-member team is among 4,400 athletes from 168 countries competing in 22 sports that get underway Thursday.

There were just 122 participating countries in Sydney, Australia in 2000, so the demands for an athlete to win a medal at the Paralympic Games jumped exponentially in nearly a quarter century.

Canadians won 21 medals, including five gold, in Tokyo's Paralympics delayed from 2020 to 2021 and held without spectators because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Canada's medal total dropped from 29 in Rio in 2016 and 31 in London in 2012.

"We as a nation, since London where we won 31 medals at the Paralympic Games, have had a performance trend that has not been positive," said Own The Podium chief executive officer Anne Merklinger.

"Post-Tokyo there was very much a concerted, collaborative effort with the Canadian Paralympic Committee and the national sport organizations that are invested in Paralympic sport to say we need to dig into this more and identify what are the opportunities that Canada has to get back to near where we were in London . . . be ultimately a top-eight, top-10 summer Paralympic nation?"

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Paralympic sport now requires the full-time professional coaching and support staffs that Olympians demand. The cost of a sport wheelchair can also range from $5,000 to $25,000.

"We've gotten by with what we've done and I would say we've been punching well above our weight," Canadian Paralympic Committee CEO Karen O'Neill said.

Swimming and track and field is expected to lead Canada's medal charge in Paris, with contributions from