Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Ann Pegoraro, Lang Chair in Sport Management, Lang School of Business and Economics, University of Guelph
Nearly 31 million Canadians watched Team Canada compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina earlier this year. With the Paralympics underway, fandom research suggests that millions are expected to tune in again.
With Canada consistently one of the top three countries on the medal table at the Winter Paralympics, and its athletes producing incredible sporting moments, Canadians are in for a treat.
For many of us, the Paralympics are remembered through moments that resonate beyond sport itself. Canadian athletes have delivered performances that not only capture national attention but also challenge longstanding assumptions about disability and elite competition, from Brian McKeever becoming Canada’s most decorated Winter Paralympian to wheelchair basketball victories that electrified arenas during the 2024 Games.
As the Milano-Cortina 2026 Paralympics draws in a growing Canadian audience, understanding the impact of this fandom is important. This isn’t just about sport, it’s also about reshaping how Canadians think about disability.
Paralympic fandom remains understudied
The Paralympic Games are what is referred to as a mega-event in sports, joining the likes of the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games. Yet the Paralympic fandom is understudied compared with other sport mega events.
The Olympics have drawn the attention of researchers for decades, with numerous studies on how fans consume the Games, what Olympic fandom means and how Olympic sponsors connect with fans. Similarly, researchers have spent significant time investigating football fandom and the FIFA World Cup.
But research on Paralympic audiences — including consumption, fandom, attitudes and effects — is limited.
This gap matters. The Paralympic Games are not simply another sporting event. They are one of the largest global platforms where disability, athletic excellence and national identity intersect.
Understanding how audiences engage with the Paralympics helps explain how sport can influence perceptions of disability, shape more inclusive narratives and mobilize support for parasport development.
More Canadians are Paralympic fans
Drawing on a national survey of Canadians conducted in partnership with the Canadian Paralympic Committee, we examined how fandom for the Paralympic Games relates to attitudes toward disability and social engagement.
We found that nearly 40 per cent of Canadians now consider themselves fans of the Paralympics, and seven in 10 believe Paralympic fandom is growing nationwide.
Canadians set viewership records for the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris, while the worldwide audience also grew, with more than 1.6 billion views on the social media channels of the International Paralympic Committee, an 81 per cent increase compared with the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.
With this growing fandom and viewership, Paralympians are providing unprecedented visibility for individuals with disabilities.
The widely successful International Paralympic Committee’s TikTok has also played an active role in attracting young fans, in particular, through edgy campaigns.
Sport as a catalyst for social change
Paralympians are extraordinary athletes. With the Paralympics drawing record viewership and increasing fandom, the Games are a powerful tool for societal change.
Research has shown that societal attitudes toward people with disabilities can shift positively when people watch and follow the Paralympic Games. We wanted to know how rising Paralympic fandom in Canada affects attitudes toward disability.
Preliminary results of our work indicate that Paralympic fans not only have more positive attitudes toward disability in society, but are also significantly more likely to engage in pro-social activities such as donating, raising awareness or advocating for people with disabilities.
Nine in 10 parasport fans in Canada reported engaging in pro-social behaviours, compared with seven in 10 Canadians overall.
The business case for Paralympic sponsorship
Just as brands are recognizing the return on investment of sponsoring women’s sports, the Paralympics are now poised to offer a similar opportunity.
Our research found that consumers’ attitudes and purchase intentions all positively increase when they learn that a company sponsors the Paralympics. This increase is larger than similar intentions toward companies that sponsor the Olympics, with 24 per cent of Winter Paralympic fans reporting they made a purchase from a brand because of its Paralympic sponsorship.
Women’s sport fandom is also growing in Canada, and research demonstrates that women’s sports fans are more likely than men’s sports fans to watch or follow the Paralympics. This provides a growing and lucrative audience that could motivate companies to get involved.
What this means going into Milano-Cortina
The rise in fandom suggests Canadians will once again be watching in large numbers. And this is increasingly shaping how we understand disability, excellence and inclusion in sport.
Expanded broadcast coverage, increasing social media engagement and stronger corporate partnerships are helping bring the Paralympics and Paralympians to wider audiences than ever before.
For fans, the Games offer an opportunity to witness extraordinary athletic performances. They also provide a moment to reflect on how sport can shape the way disability is understood in society.
Ann Pegoraro is the Director of the International Institute for Sport Business and Leadership who conducted the research referenced herein. She receives funding from SSHRC.
Ryan Snelgrove receives funding from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
– ref. More Canadians are watching the Paralympics. Our research shows why that matters – https://theconversation.com/more-canadians-are-watching-the-paralympics-our-research-shows-why-that-matters-277035