Spallumcheen's Ina Forrest named to fifth-straight Paralympic team

Paralympic bound curler

Photo: Contributed

Ina Forrest has been a presence on the international Paralympic curling team for over 20 years.

A Spallumcheen curler will be heading to Italy in 2026, after being named to the Canadian Paralympic team.

Ina Forrest will one again be donning the red and white at the Paralympics, after being named to the Paralympic curling team for the fifth-straight time.

“The opportunity to represent Canada at the Paralympics is an athlete’s dream,” said Forrest. “There’s never a guarantee you’ll get to live that dream again, so each of my Paralympic experiences is something I truly treasure."

Forrest, who was also named co-captain of the Paralympic team for Canada, has won two gold and two bronze at the event, dating back to the 2010 competition in Vancouver.

"This one is especially meaningful," Forrest said. "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.”

The 63-year-old has had an illustrious career, winning three world championships titles, along with three silvers and was inducted in to the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame in 2016.

The other four curlers named to the team are:

• Gilbert Dash- Kipling, Sask.
• Mark Ideson- London, Ont.
• Collinda Joseph- Ottawa, Ont.
• Jon Thurston- Dunsford, Ont.

The curling competition will take place March 7-14, 2026 at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium in Cortina d’Ampezzo.