Saskatchewan Olympians and Paralympians honoured by provincial gov’t

Athletes, coaches, and judges were celebrated for representing Saskatchewan at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics and Paralympics. Jacob Carr has more.

The most recent batch of Saskatchewan Olympians were honoured by the provincial government on Thursday.

“We are tremendously proud of the tremendous accomplishments of participating at the Olympic and Paralympic Games. You have honoured Saskatchewan and you have honoured Canada. On behalf of the people of Saskatchewan, thank you for all your hard work and your dedication to your sport,” Minister of Parks, Culture and Sport Alana Ross said.

One of the athletes present was Gil Dash, who was part of the gold medal winning team in Paralympic Wheelchair Curling.

He spoke about how it felt to win that final game.

“Just a huge release of emotion. Just relief and happiness. And to be able to go out on the ice and have the Canadian flag, that is a big, proud moment,” he said.

Also on hand was Karen Howard from Melville, who judged the figure skating competition in Italy.

“It’s such a privilege and such an honour. I remember watching the Olympics back when they were in Calgary and I said, ‘I want to be there someday as an official,’ and it’s been a lot of dedicated work,” she said.

Howard also judged figure skating in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and just recently returned to Saskatchewan after judging the World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic.

Both Howard and Dash relived some of their most cherished moments from being a part of the competitions.

For Howard, it was witnessing the Canadian figure skating duo of Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier step onto the podium.

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“My real highlight, I think, would have been Piper and Paul winning their bronze medal. I’ve watched them for many years. I don’t judge ice dance, but I watch the sport, all disciplines in our sport. And I had watched Paul since he was a single skater, and they stayed very dedicated to their commitment to sport, and it was so beautiful to see that special moment in Milano Cortina,” she said.

For Dash, he pointed out a moment after he had won the gold medal, where he was heading to the Venice airport, with a private shuttle driver.

“Going through Cortina leaving, the driver stopped, and the traffic downtown is very busy, and there’s a news camera right there. He stopped in traffic, ran around, slid my side door open. So, the guy had the camera right there and you know, we’re singing, ‘We are the champions of the world,’ and everyone’s there. That was a great time as well,” he explained.

Whether it be an athlete or a judge, plenty of Saskatchewan participants made the province proud for their accomplishments at both the Olympics and Paralympics.