Two decades later, and Spallumcheen wheelchair curler Ina Forrest is oh-so-close to competing in Italy, wearing her country’s colours.
Five wheelchair curlers, including Forrest, have been nominated to compete for Canada at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games, announced Monday by the Canadian Paralympic Committee and Curling Canada Monday, Nov. 17.
The curlers are the first athletes to be nominated to the 2026 Milano Cortina Canadian Paralympic team.
“The opportunity to represent Canada at the Paralympics is an athlete’s dream,” said Forrest, who would be making her fifth Paralympics Games appearance if selected for Italy. Prior to being officially named to the Canadian Paralympic Team, all nominations are subject to approval by the Canadian Paralympic Committee. The approved final roster will be announced closer to the start of the Games.
“There’s never a guarantee you’ll get to live that dream again, so each of my Paralympic experiences is something I truly treasure. This one is especially meaningful – I missed qualifying for the Torino 2006 team, which was a huge disappointment at the time, so competing in Milano Cortina 2026, 20 years later, feels like I’ve come full circle.”
Forrest has won two gold and two bronze medals in her four previous Paralympics experience.
Canada will compete in the mixed team tournament, where it will be aiming for a sixth consecutive podium appearance (three gold, two bronze). Canada is the only nation to have medalled in each wheelchair curling competition since the sport made its debut at the Torino 2006 Paralympic Winter Games.
Joining Forrest as Canadian wheelchair curler nominees are four-time participant, and three-time medalist, Mark Ideson of London, Ont., who is nominated for skip; Gilbert Dash from Kipling, Sask.; Collinda Joseph of Ottawa; and Jon Thurston of Dunsford, Ont.
Forrest, Ideson, Joseph, and Thurston won bronze for Canada at the Beijing 2022 Games. Kipling is slated to make his Paralympics debut in Italy.
Forrest was named one of five co-captains of the Milano Cortina 2026 Canadian Paralympic Team last week.
Canada has won a bronze medal at the two most recent Paralympic Winter Games (2022, 2018). At the last three world championships, they captured two silvers (2023, 2024) and one bronze (2025).
The wheelchair curling mixed team tournament will take place March 7 to 14 at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium in Cortina d’Ampezzo. The preliminary rounds run March 7 to 12. Canada’s schedule is below (all listed times are Italy time; Cortina is nine hours ahead of the North Okanagan):
• March 7: Canada vs. Italy 6:35 p.m.;
• March 8: Canada vs. Great Britain 9:35 a.m./ Canada vs. Norway 6:35 p.m.;
• March 9: Canada vs. Latvia 9:35 a.m.;
• March 10: Canada vs. China 9:35 a.m./ Canada vs. Sweden 6:35 p.m.;
• March 11: Canada vs. Slovakia 8:05 p.m.;
• March 12: Canada vs. South Korea 1:35 p.m. / Canada vs. USA 6:35 p.m.
The Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games will take place March 6 to 15, 2026 and feature athletes competing in six sports – Para alpine skiing, Para ice hockey, Para nordic skiing (Para biathlon and Para cross-country skiing), Para snowboard, and wheelchair curling. Canada is expecting to send a team of approximately 50 athletes.
Vernon’s Boris Rybalka is the head coach of the Canadian Para Ice Hockey team.