Two-time Paralympian swimmer Nicolas-Guy Turbide said he didn’t think it would happen during his active career.
Starting at the Paris 2024 Games, Canadian Paralympians will receive financial rewards for landing on the podium through the Canadian Paralympic Committee’s (CPC) Paralympic performance-recognition program.
“Every time we would come back from a major Games, there was always something different between the recognition and the respect that an Olympic athlete would have from their medal and what we would have as Paralympic athletes,” Turbide said.
The new program will reward Canadian Paralympic athletes the same amount that Olympic athletes receive for winning gold, silver and bronze medals. Athletes will get $20,000 for a gold medal, $15,000 for a silver and $10,000 for a bronze. Further, all Canadian podium winners will receive an additional $5,000 per medal from the Malaviya Foundation, said Sanjay Malaviya, the program’s lead donor.
The CPC made the announcement Wednesday morning at the Museum of History in Gatineau, Que., with several Paralympians in attendance.
The Paralympic Games is the largest international competition for athletes with a range of disabilities. This year, the Paralympic Games will run from Aug. 28 to Sept. 8 in Paris, shortly after the Olympic Games.
“Paralympians are part of Team Canada,” said Malaviya, a health-care technology entrepreneur. “That was the impetus to get this going.”
He said Canada’s success stories, such as that of the Minister of Sport and Physical Activity and former Paralympic swimmer Carla Qualtrough, inspire and unite Canadians when they represent the country on the world stage. “I am thrilled to be able to support them and celebrate their accomplishments in this way,” Malaviya said.
Three-time Paralympian Aurélie Rivard shared Malaviya’s excitement for the performance-recognition program. “I think that this is a major step toward seeing a Paralympic medal worth the same as an Olympic medal,” she said. Rivard added the financial rewards will make Paralympic sports more accessible as it allows athletes to make career decisions that are not just based on affordability.
In order to maintain this program for generations of athletes to come, the Paralympic Foundation of Canada created an $8-million endowment fund. The federal government has contributed $2-million, the Malaviya Foundation has committed to $4-million and the remaining $2-million has yet to be raised.
Canada joins the Games’ host country, France, the United States and Australia in adopting an initiative to recognize and reward Paralympic athletes equally to Olympic athletes.
Karen O’Neil, the CEO of the CPC, said the Canadian program for Paralympians has been in the works for years. She explained that after the Vancouver 2010 Games, the federal government, as well as other sponsors, recognized the inequity and began contributing. She added that the Games in Tokyo and Beijing also spurred the development.
“To be able to finish the Games and none of our athletes has obtained any financial recognition the same as Olympic athletes really started to present a message that the performance, the athletes and the outcome on the podium was not the same,” O’Neil said, “and in fact, for many thought ‘does it even matter?’”
With the program now ready to launch, O’Neil said that it is just one step toward recognizing these athletes in an equitable light. She said, “as much as it’s the funding available, it’s the leadership and the people stepping up to say, ‘it does matter, it’s not fair and it’s 2024 and it’s time to ensure that this is equitable for all athletes.’”