Background

Leo Sammarelli was introduced to Para nordic skiing in 2018 through the Canadian Paralympic Committee’s Paralympian Search at the Richmond Olympic Oval, and quickly immersed himself in the sport.

Training with Nordic Racers in North Vancouver, he progressed from being unable to complete a sprint to competing at more than a dozen Para nordic World Cup events.  He entered the first eight races on the Para cross country skiing World Cup circuit in the 2025-26 season.

Prior to his injury, Sammarelli was a high-level amateur boxer and one of British Columbia’s top lightweight prospects. He began boxing at a young age and achieved significant success, including winning the Golden Gloves lightweight title in 2013 and the Canadian amateur lightweight championship in 2014.

Following his injury, Sammarelli became a leader in adaptive boxing. He helped establish the first wheelchair adaptive boxing council in British Columbia, serves on the World Adaptive Boxing Council, and is a board member of Boxing BC as Director of Diversity and Inclusion.

Sammarelli is also an expert in martial arts, particularly jiu-jitsu, which he credits for bringing him peace of mind. He has competed at the Canada Games in wheelchair racing, winning gold in 2022 as well as in Para nordic cross country skiing.

In 2017, Sammarelli was a victim of gun violence and was diagnosed with a life changing spinal cord injury, becoming paralyzed from the waist down.

Sammarelli works as a trainer at the Rain City Boxing Club in Vancouver and is the founder of Westcoast Wheelchair Adaptive Boxing.

Of Italian and Filipino heritage, Sammarelli speaks both English and Italian.