2026 Milano Cortina Paralympic Winter Games Athlete Nomination Synopsis and Rationale
Selection Rationale
Click above to view the Selection Rationale
Congratulations to the following athletes who have met criteria for official nomination to the Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) for selection approval to the Milano-Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games Team (PWGT) based on the Nordiq Canada 2026 Paralympic Winter Games Selection Criteria (Internal Nomination Procedure).
This Synopsis and Rationale is not a team announcement and is only used to rationalize the athletes who have met criteria for nomination. The official CPC team announcement for the Milano-Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games Team Para Nordic team is January 30th, 2026.
Team Size:
Canada has qualified a total of 12 quota spots for the Para Nordic team (Para Cross-Country and Para Biathlon) including six (6) quota spots for females, and six (6) quota spots for males. The selection of Team Canada is made by the CPC at its sole discretion. Selection is subject to the athlete’s satisfaction of all Para FIS and Para IBU eligibility requirements.
Nominations
Collin Cameron – ON
Derek Zaplotinsky – AB
Mark Arendz – PEI
Jesse Backinsky (+ guide) – ON
Logan Lariviere (+ guide) – ON
Leo Sammarelli – BC
Natalie Wilkie – BC
Madison Mullin (+ guide) – ON
Brittany Hudak – SK
Christina Picton – ON
Emma Archibald – NS
Lyne-Marie Bilodeau – QC
Alternate Nominations
Yves Bourque – QC
Athlete nominations were made by the High-Performance Manager and reviewed by the High-Performance Committee (HPC) based on the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games Selection Criteria (Internal Nomination Procedure) – Amended Nov 18, 2025. The HPC oversaw the nomination process as per the Nordiq Canada Nomination, Selection and Announcement policy. Members of this committee are:
- Graham Nishikawa (athlete rep – Para)
- Devon Kershaw (athlete rep – Olympic)
- Maria Lundgren (BC)
- Pauline Nadlersmith (MB)
- John Lofranco (Athletics Canada)
Final athlete selections were approved by Marshall Starkman, Para High-Performance Manager:
Selection decisions may be appealed under the Nordiq Canada Dispute Resolution and Appeals Policy. Any dispute must be brought directly to the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC) to be heard pursuant to the Canadian Sport Dispute Resolution Code. An athlete who wishes to appeal shall file an appeal with the SDRCC within three (3) days of the nomination Synopsis and Rationale being posted to the Nordiq Canada website.