The Canadian Paralympic Committee says Milano Cortina 2026 delivered record-breaking Paralympics engagement in Canada, with new national research showing more Canadians are watching, following and identifying as fans. The committee released the findings on May 26, 2026, days after the Games closed, and paired them with evidence that interest in Paralympic sport is translating into stronger support for inclusion.

That matters now because the numbers were not small. Six in 10 Canadians engaged with the Games through broadcast, streaming, social media or media coverage, and four in 10 now call themselves fans. More than half said Milano Cortina 2026 increased their interest in the Paralympics, while over 70 per cent believe fandom is still rising.

The reach was visible across every channel. One in four Canadians tuned in to broadcast coverage, CBC/Radio-Canada drew 10 million viewers, and time spent streaming Paralympic content rose by more than 500 per cent compared with Beijing 2022. On the committee’s own digital and social platforms, the Games generated nearly 50 million impressions, 13 million video views and more than 1.5 million engagements.

Michelle Stilwell, the committee’s vice-president of sport, said the data shows that deeper engagement with the Paralympic Games is linked to stronger inclusive behaviours and more positive attitudes. She said Para sport has become a trusted platform for connection, and that Canadians are not just watching the Paralympics but connecting it to the kind of country they want to live in.

The research backs that up. Seven in 10 Canadians said Milano Cortina 2026 positively influenced their attitudes toward people with disabilities, while more than 30 per cent said it made them more motivated to take part in sport or physical activity. Among Canadians with a disability, three in 10 said the Games boosted that motivation. Nine in 10 Canadians also said the country should be more accessible.

That is where the progress meets its limits. Paralympic fandom is clearly growing, but the broader goal behind it — a more accessible and inclusive Canada — remains unfinished. Karen O’Neill, the committee’s chief executive, said the growth in attention reflects a broader shift in how Canadians value Paralympic sport and raises expectations for a more inclusive country, while also creating an opportunity to turn the momentum into long-term impact.

For now, Milano Cortina 2026 looks less like a one-off spike than a marker of changing habits. The bigger test is whether the audience the Games won can be kept long enough to change what Canadians expect from sport, and from the country around it.