As wheelchair curling returns to Italy for the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games—with mixed doubles debuting alongside mixed teams—athletes like Canada's Collinda Joseph and Great Britain's Jo Butterfield gear up for competition at Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium from March 4-15. Precision delivery from seated positions using sticks will be key in the 81 matches ahead.
Building on earlier coverage of the event format, teams, and history since the 2006 Torino debut, this preview spotlights standout athletes preparing for the seventh Paralympic appearance of wheelchair curling.
Canada's Collinda Joseph, the team's lead, brings bronze medals from the 2019 Canadian Championship and 2020, 2025 World Championships. After a 1983 spinal injury, she took up curling in 2006 and emphasizes self-belief amid pressure: 'You’re here, you deserve to be here, you’re good enough to be here.' Teammate Mark Ideson calls her 'a fierce competitor,' noting the lack of sweeping leaves stone paths 'up to the gods.' Veteran Gilbert Dash, 57 from Saskatchewan and a three-time world medallist, makes his Paralympic debut proudly wearing the maple leaf. Canada seeks to extend its podium streak since 2006 against rising global rivals.
Great Britain's Jo Butterfield, a Rio 2016 club throw gold medallist paralyzed in 2011, teams with Jason Kean in the Paralympic-debuting mixed doubles. She stresses recovery: 'If you don’t get a good night’s sleep, you’re never feeling on top of the world.'
All competitions unfold at the historic Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium, with mixed team and doubles events testing strategy and precision through March 15.
