Paralympians receive $5K per medal 'step in right direction'

CANMORE – Imagine it's the holiday season and after working long hours and producing at a high quality for the company, it's your counterparts on a different floor receiving the coveted Christmas bonus – year after year.

It's a familiar tune for Canada's Paralympians, who don't receive medal bonuses at the Games, but there's optimism for the future following a massive donation and greater awareness about payouts for some of the country's top athletes.

A landmark $1.2 million donation by Canadian entrepreneur, Sanjay Malaviya, will deposit $5,000 per medal won to Team Canada's medallists at Beijing and Tokyo, for both Olympians and Paralympians, is furthering a conversation in desperate need.

"I think it's a great step towards equality between Olympians and Paralympians," said Canada's Natalie Wilkie, who won four medals in Para Nordic Skiing at the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympic Games. "The fact that [Malaviya] is paying both Olympians and Paralympians $5K per medal, I think is pretty awesome."

Announced on March 30, the donation will benefit 130 Olympians and 53 Paralympians, including six members of the Para Nordic Ski team, which trains out of Canmore, who will receive an $85,000 payout for 13 individual medals and one relay in Beijing.

The donation includes $100,000 going to Canada's NextGen program.

Canadian Olympians are rewarded for winning gold ($20,000), silver ($15,000), and bronze ($10,000) at the Olympics through the Canadian Olympic Committee's Athlete Excellence Fund, supported by private fundraising/sponsorships, which are separate from the Canadian Paralympic Committee.

For 21-year-old Wilkie, a seven-time Paralympic medallist, the extra pocket-filler will be well used in daily living and training.

"Obviously Canmore is a great place to train, but it's not a cheap place to live, so that extra $20 grand is going to come in handy," she said.

Through the Para Nordic Athlete Assistance Program, Canada's high-end Para-athletes are paid each year. Those with senior cards, such as 20-time Paralympic medallist Brian McKeever, received $21,180 for the 2021-22 season, or $1,765 per month for 12 months – $235 less per month for national team athletes than the $2,000 federal government monthly payout during the COVID crisis.

"Any added funding is a huge, huge bonus and it allows them to sort of attempt to be above the poverty line when they don't have anything else really and we expect them to put it all into this," said Robin McKeever, Canada's Para Nordic Ski team's head coach at the Beijing Games.

McKeever added the pay for amateur athletes in Canada has not kept up with where the economy has gone.

"We definitely have some other benefits for Para athletes and persons with a disability that far surpass anything that is going on in some of those eastern block countries, but it would be pretty nice to have that $20,000 in your pocket gold medal for some of the athletes to allow them a future, I suppose, beyond sport. At least a stepping stone."

In an interview with CBC's Devin Heroux, CEO of the Canadian Paralympics Committee Karen O'Neill said the organization receives $5 million per year from the federal government, which has gone into improving infrastructure for Para athletes to train and compete. She added the hope is to have medal bonuses in place by 2024.

"It sounds like a few people are working very hard to make it a reality," said Wilkie. "I just definitely think it's about time that we had the same opportunity and recognition as our Olympic counterparts because, at the end of the day, we have the same amount of travel, the same amount of training, some amount of expenses as our counterparts and I think it's really important that we take these steps toward equality."

McKeever, who will take the reins of head coach of the national ski team and Olympic program moving forward, said the CPC has done good work to improve conditions for its athletes.

"I will challenge Karen and the CPC to go after that [medal bonus] because I think that would be a great thing if they can get it," said McKeever.

"In six games, I would call this the best and most organized I have seen the CPC for supporting our program and so that was just amazing. The next step for supporting direct funding for athletes will be a step in the right direction."

For the man who helped create some buzz in Canada's sporting world this past week, Malaviya, a Canadian healthcare technology entrepreneur, has a passion for sport and was inspired by the Canadians in Tokyo and Beijing.

“Canadian Olympic and Paralympic athletes have inspired and united us during a very difficult time,” said Malaviya, in a press release. “It's an honour to be able to celebrate their achievements and invest in their future.”

Dean Brokop, director of the Paralympic Foundation of Canada, added: “We are truly grateful that Sanjay saw the importance of recognizing Paralympic medallists alongside their Olympic counterparts. This generous gift will play a pivotal role in empowering Canada's finest athletes as they work towards reaching more podiums in Paris and Milan-Cortina.”