A decade-long commitment to accessibility is attracting elite athletes and international events.
By Doug Wallace
“IN LEDUC, we believe that sports and recreation is for everybody,” says Janet Guthrie, sport tourism coordinator for the City of Leduc, AB, which hosted Curling Canada’s Wheelchair Curling Event this past January. “There are not a lot of opportunities for wheelchair curlers to compete at an elite international level,” she continues, “but we are becoming a staple on the international circuit.”
Guthrie has every right to enjoy this self-advocation. The tiny community just south of Edmonton saw more than 60 athletes from around the world—including many top Paralympic teams— converge at the Leduc Recreation Centre to compete in mixed doubles and mixed fours events.
Their response was “overwhelmingly positive,” Guthrie says, thanks to Leduc’s specialized facilities and ice-making skills, technical expertise and long-term commitment to inclusive competition. “Participants couldn’t get over how accessible the curling rinks were and how welcoming the community was.”
HOW LEDUC FOUND ITS NICHE
While Leduc has emerged as a leading host of para sport, it didn’t just happen overnight. In fact, the city has been working toward this moment for more than a decade. “Our first major entry into the world of para sport was when we hosted the 2015 World Sledge Hockey Challenge as it was called at the time, now the Para Hockey Cup,” Guthrie says.
The city teamed up with groups like the Paralympic Sport Association and different para ice hockey teams from around the region to help organize that event, which opened up other opportunities. “We then had a regular para ice hockey league that would come and practice, and we were able to host the national and western championships. Events branched out from there to blind hockey and wheelchair basketball.”
ICE THAT MEETS THE MOMENT
Leduc then hosted the Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championship in 2018, enlisting the help of an Edmonton club with a strong wheelchair curling program, making the run-up to the January 2026 Leduc Wheelchair Curling Event smooth sailing. And while Curling Canada took on the bulk of the logistics, the Leduc Recreation Centre, which has won awards for its accessibility, took the spotlight for its perfect sheets of ice.
Wheelchair curling requires specialized ice to handle the rigours of the playing and the players, and to withstand the duration of the matches. “In wheelchair curling, they don’t have sweepers, and because of that they have to pebble the ice differently,” Guthrie says. “Our icemakers have been able to deliver high-quality ice to meet these needs on a consistent basis. There are few places across Canada that can do that.”
THE ACCESSIBLE STAY
Leduc hotels came through with ample accommodations, all of which met the Canadian Paralympic Committee’s accessibility checklist. Hotels and the venue itself were “tested” by a para ice hockey player who participated in an audit of the different hotels in the city. “When you have almost 100 people that may use wheelchairs,” Guthrie adds, “your standard two accessible rooms aren’t going to cut it.”
VISIBILITY AND BELONGING
During January’s event, This Hour Has 22 Minutes came to do a piece on Team Canada, which was in Leduc competing just before heading into the 2026 Milano Cortina Paralympic Games. This added to the excitement and helped with the sport’s promotion in general. Participants were also thrilled that Leduc Mayor Lars Hansen came by to meet with Team Canada, and were even more delighted when he got on the ice to give it a try.
But perhaps one of the more resonating moments involved a 10-year-old from Edmonton who said she had never been in a room with so many other wheelchairs in her life. “She wasn’t the one who was different for a change,” Guthrie says. “You can’t beat that sense of belonging.”
Photos: Curling Canada
Published October 2026
