5 Team Canada sports to watch this weekend: October 25-27
Whether or not your weather outside agrees, the winter sports season is here. This weekend is action-packed with competition, including three major events on home ice as Skate Canada International takes place in Halifax, the ISU Short Track World Tour makes its inaugural stop in Montreal, and the Pan Continental Curling Championships kick off in Lacombe, Alberta.
Here’s all the Team Canada action you don’t want to miss–at home and abroad:
Figure Skating
Figure skating fans around the world will have their eyes trained on Halifax for the 50th edition of Skate Canada International, the second stop of the ISU Grand Prix season, but the first important competition for several Canadians.
Canadian fans will be particularly excited to see the reigning world champions in pairs, Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps, take to the ice. The pair recently delivered a silver medal performance at the Nebelhorn Trophy, an ISU Challenger Series event in September, to launch their season. They’ll be joined in the pairs event by Kelly Ann Laurin and Loucas Éthier.
Team Canada fan favourites Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier will look to continue their Skate Canada International winning streak–the duo have won every ice dance gold medal at this competition since 2019. This weekend will mark the 2024-25 season debut for the reigning world silver medallists.
This event has also proven lucky for fellow ice dancers Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha, who took bronze in 2022 for their first career Grand Prix medal. Lajoie and Lagha secured two silver medals on the Grand Prix circuit last season before going on to finish fifth at the worlds. They are also starting their season in Halifax. Rounding out the Canadian ice dance entries are Alicia Fabbri and Paul Ayer, who are coming straight from last week’s Skate America where they were fourth in the rhythm dance before dropping down the standings following a fall in the free dance.
In the men’s competition, Stephen Gogolev, Aleksa Rakic and Roman Sadovsky are facing a tough field that includes reigning world champion Ilia Malinin of the United States, the self-anointed “quad god”. Three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto of Japan headlines the women’s event in which Sara-Maude Dupuis, Kaiya Ruiter and Madeline Schizas will each seek two solid performances.
Short Track Speed Skating
Montreal will play host to the debut of the ISU Short Track World Tour this weekend. Ten Canadian athletes will take to the ice, including national champions Florence Brunelle and William Dandjinou.
READ: Olympic and world champions lead Canadian short track speed skating team into 2024-25 season
Canadian skaters will begin chasing points in an attempt to win the Crystal Globe–the award for the top ranked skater on the circuit.
Saturday afternoon includes the finals for the women’s 1000m and 3000m relay as well as the men’s 500m and 1500m. The competition concludes on Sunday with the finals for the men’s 1000m and 5000m relay along with the women’s 500m and 1500m and the mixed team relay.
Alpine Skiing
The first FIS World Cup of the alpine skiing season takes place in Sölden, Austria, with two giant slalom races on the program.
The Canadian Alpine Ski Team skiers will be making their first starts of the season on the impressive slope, following numerous training camps this summer.
Curling
There’s also curling competition taking place on home ice, with the Pan Continental Curling Championships starting this Sunday in Lacombe, Alberta. It is the qualification event for all non-European countries for the 2025 World Men’s and World Women’s Curling Championships.
On the women’s side, Team Canada, skipped by Rachel Homan, are the current world champions. On the men’s side, Brad Gushue will skip Team Canada as they seek to repeat as winners of the event.
Swimming
The second stop on the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup tour will take place this weekend in Incheon, South Korea.
Three Canadians are competing in the short course meet. Versatile swimmer Mary-Sophie Harvey has a stacked program on deck, set to race the 100m, 200m, and 400m IM, the 100m and 200m butterfly, and the 200m and 400m freestyle.
Stroke specialists Sophie Angus and Ingrid Wilm will also race, with Angus competing in the 50m, 100m, and 200m breastroke events, and Wilm in the 50m, 100m, and 200m backstroke events.
At the first stop of the World Cup circuit in Shanghai, China last weekend, Harvey won 400m IM gold and 200m freestyle silver while Wilm took home two bronze medals in the 50m and 100m backstroke.