Team Canada: the CDSA is kicking off a national fundraising campaign to enable Canadian athletes to take part in the 2027 Winter Deaflympics in Austria

Ottawa, September 15, 2026 – In all, 28 Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing athletes have qualified to compete proudly for Canada at the 2027 Winter Deaflympics to be held in Austria from January 15 to 24, 2027. Today, the Canadian Deaf Sports Association (CDSA) is launching a national fundraising campaign to raise $75,000 by December 2026 – and thereby enable our delegation of athletes to attend the competition.

Team Canada’s return to the Winter Deaflympics is eagerly awaited! It has been a long eight-year wait, following its withdrawal from the 2024 edition in Turkey for security reasons.

The Deaflympics, which have been held every four years since 1924, are the longest-running multi-sport competition after the Olympic Games and the top worldwide competition for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing athletes.

In a country renowned for its winter sports, funding remains a barrier for high-level Deaf athletes

The 28 athletes tapped to represent Canada come from all over the country and compete in hockey, cross-country skiing, and curling – three iconic Canadian winter sports.

Like all other high-level athletes, these Canadians have devoted months or years to training so as to qualify for competition. And yet, despite qualifying for this prestigious sports event, their attendance is by no means guaranteed. That is because high-level Deaf athletes still face serious gaps in funding and support. Unfortunately, this is a recurring issue from one competition to the next.

To compete in the 2027 Winter Deaflympics, Team Canada must raise $75,000. As current cost-of-living hikes are also driving up expenses for participation in worldwide competitions, these funds will mainly serve to cover the athletes’ travel, accommodation, and preparation costs.

Falling short of the fundraising target may result in some Canadian athletes being unable to travel to Austria to represent their country. Meanwhile, delegations from the United States, France, China, and Germany have already confirmed their attendance.

“This is hardly the first time that Deaf Canadian athletes have had to deal with funding challenges when seeking to represent their country on the world stage. All too often, they have to cover a large chunk of the costs themselves or set up their own fundraisers. Nevertheless, we remain optimistic about developments this year that would allow us to provide our athletes with better conditions for training and competing at the highest levels,” points out Alain Turpin, the CDSA’s Executive Director.

In response to the current challenge, the CDSA is taking action to raise funds to enable Canadian athletes to compete in Austria in January 2027.

A fundraising campaign – with Jim Kyte as its ambassador – to help Team Canada shine in Austria

With “Victory is in your hands” as its rallying cry, the CDSA calls on Canadians to support Team Canada. By doing so, they champion not only 28 deserving athletes, but the country as a whole!

“These athletes are friends, neighbours, colleagues, and fellow Canucks. At this very moment, they need the public’s support if they are to represent our country on the world stage. Victory in Austria is also in the hands of all Canadians, and Team Canada includes all of us. By rallying together, we can enable our athletes to compete at the Deaflympics and show that we, as Canadians, are the champs when it comes to winter sports!” adds Alain Turpin.

To help spread this message, Jim Kyte, a former Canadian professional ice hockey player and the first Deaf player to have competed in the National Hockey League (NHL), has been named the campaign’s ambassador. In this role, he will raise public awareness regarding the realities Deaf athletes face and rally Canadians behind their team.

As part of the campaign, the CDSA has also launched a promotional video and a fundraising page. Multiple outreach activities are set to take place in the months ahead, including on social media and in major cities across Canada, to ignite public support for the campaign.

How you can help
Both the public and businesses are encouraged to make a donation using the Zeffy portal or become corporate partners by contacting CDSA Executive Director Alain Turpin at alain.turpin@assc-cdsa.com.

Access our press kit (stats,videos, images, and additional info) here.

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Information and interview requests
Javier Garcia
438-408-3731
javier.garcia@winkstrategies.com

About the CDSA

The CDSA is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the development of high-level Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing athletes. Thanks to direct financial support, it enables them to take part in worldwide sports events sanctioned by the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf and the Pan American Sports Committee for the Deaf.