Calgary's Sliding Sports Legacy Shines in Olympic Luge Team Selection
Calgary continues to demonstrate its remarkable strength in winter sliding sports, with four local athletes securing coveted spots on Canada's Olympic luge team for the upcoming 2026 Winter Games in Italy. This impressive representation underscores the city's enduring legacy in producing world-class sliding athletes and highlights the critical role of Calgary's training facilities in national program development.
Calgary Athletes Form Core of Olympic Doubles Teams
The Canadian Olympic Committee announced its six-member luge team on Sunday, with Calgarians Kailey Allan, Beattie Podulsky, Devin Wardrope, and Cole Zajanski earning their places on the national squad. These four athletes will compete in the women's and men's doubles events, forming the backbone of Canada's sliding sports representation at the Milano Cortina Games.
"We have laid such a strong foundation from the group of past generations that came out of Calgary," said Sam Edney, a Calgarian who won Olympic silver in luge at the 2018 PyeongChang Games and now serves as Luge Canada's high-performance director. "We utilize the track at COP (WinSport). It really shows truly how important the Calgary track is to our program's development and success."
Training Facility Legacy Fuels Olympic Dreams
The WinSport Canada Olympic Park sliding track, originally built for the 1988 Winter Olympics, continues to serve as a crucial training ground for Canadian sliding athletes. This legacy venue has played an instrumental role in developing the technical skills and competitive edge of Calgary's luge athletes, providing them with world-class facilities right in their hometown.
"All these athletes that are going to Italy, they used Calgary to their advantage," Edney emphasized. "And I think the four athletes that are representing Calgary are still the product of that and the importance of that track."
Complete Canadian Luge Team for 2026 Olympics
The full Canadian luge team heading to Cortina D'Ampezzo, Italy for competition from February 7-12 includes:
- Trinity Ellis (Pemberton, B.C.) — women's singles
- Embyr-Lee Susko (Whistler, B.C.) — women's singles
- Kailey Allan (Calgary, Alta.) — women's doubles
- Beattie Podulsky (Calgary, Alta.) — women's doubles
- Devin Wardrope (Calgary, Alta.) — men's doubles
- Cole Zajanski (Calgary, Alta.) — men's doubles
This team composition represents Canada's strongest luge qualification in recent Olympic cycles, with athletes competing across multiple disciplines at the Cortina Sliding Centre.
Overcoming Adversity to Reach Olympic Stage
For Calgary's Devin Wardrope, the Olympic selection represents a particularly meaningful achievement after overcoming significant physical challenges. The 23-year-old athlete from Rocky Ridge, a graduate of the National Sport School, faced uncertainty about his Olympic dreams after dislocating his elbow twice during the season.
"Can't even put words to it right now," Wardrope exclaimed during the team announcement. "It is amazing to be named to Team Canada. This season has been filled with uncertainty, after dislocating my elbow twice. I was all but sure that my Olympic dreams were over."
Wardrope and his doubles partner Cole Zajanski have demonstrated impressive resilience, having narrowly missed qualification for the Beijing 2022 Olympics. The pair recently contributed to Canada's bronze-medal winning relay performance at the 2025 FIL Luge World Championships in Whistler and have consistently placed in the top-15 on the World Cup circuit.
Calgary's Continuing Olympic Tradition
This latest Olympic team selection continues Calgary's proud tradition of producing elite winter sports athletes. The city's investment in sliding sports infrastructure and athlete development programs has created a sustainable pipeline of talent that consistently represents Canada on the world stage.
As these four Calgarians prepare for their Olympic journey, they carry with them not only their personal ambitions but also the legacy of Calgary's sliding sports community. Their selection reinforces the city's reputation as a winter sports powerhouse and demonstrates the lasting impact of Olympic legacy facilities on athlete development and national program success.
