Olympic medallists lead Canada into short track season that starts at scene of Vancouver 2010 success
Do you remember the thrills that came from short track speed skating during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games?
Well, get ready for more. For the first time in 16 years, the Pacific Coliseum will host an international short track competition. It’s the first stop of the 2026-27 ISU Short Track World Tour.
Team Canada—or the Canadian Ice Maples, as the team is called on the World Tour—has won the Crystal Globe as the top team overall each of the last two seasons. The contingent that will compete in Vancouver (October 23-25) and Montreal (October 30-November 1) includes six Olympic medallists from Milano Cortina 2026.
Among them are Courtney Sarault, who won four Olympic medals in February after claiming the Crystal Globe as the top woman overall during the 2025-26 World Tour, and Steven Dubois, who is the reigning Olympic and world champion in the men’s 500m.
The team also includes recently crowned national champions Florence Brunelle and Félix Roussel, as well as Maxime Laoun and Danaé Blais. All four were members of medal-winning relays at Milano Cortina 2026.
Also making their return to the World Tour team are Claudia Gagnon, Ann-Sophie Bachand, and Mathieu Pelletier. Meanwhile, Victoria Jean-Baptiste, Alexandre Migner, and Antoine Gagnon-Lamarche will all make their debuts on the elite international circuit.
The skaters that will compete at the remaining World Tour stops in 2026-27 will be announced closer to the dates of those events.
One name notably missing from the Canadian team for Vancouver and Montreal is William Dandjinou, who won the Crystal Globe as the top man overall the last two seasons. He announced on his Instagram in September that he would miss the first two World Tour stops, after taking some time to himself in the aftermath of his Olympic debut.
“This season will be different,” he wrote. “I won’t be everywhere. I’m not chasing the past. I’m back on ice taking things step by step.”
While they won’t be chasing the past, the Canadian team could be inspired by what transpired at the last international short track competition in Vancouver.
Marianne St-Gelais got that Olympic medal party started with a silver in the women’s 500m—what a way to celebrate her 20th birthday! One week later, she won another silver medal with the women’s 3000m relay, sharing the moment with Jessica Gregg, Kalyna Roberge, and Tania Vicent.
Canada’s Marianne St-Gelais reacts after winning the silver medal in the women’s 500m short track skating competition at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2010. (AP Photo/Mark Baker) 
Canada’s women’s short track relay team Tania Vicent, Marianne St-Gelais, Kalyna Roberge and Jessica Gregg, left to right, celebrate with their silver medals for the 3000m relay during the medal ceremony at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, Thursday evening, February 25, 2010 at BC Place. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Tara Walton 
Gold medallist Charles Hamelin of Canada, left, reacts with bronze medallist François-Louis Tremblay of Canada, right, following the men’s 500m finals short track skating competition at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Friday, Feb. 26, 2010. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta) 
Canada’s Charles Hamelin receives his medal as teammates Guillaume Bastille, François Hamelin, Olivier Jean and François-Louis Tremblay, left to right, look on after winning the gold medal in the men’s 5000 metre relay in the short track speeds kating competition Friday February 26, 2010 at the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson
There was a flurry of excitement on the final night of short track competition. Canada won three medals—including two gold—in a span of just 30 minutes. First, Charles Hamelin and François-Louis Tremblay claimed gold and bronze, respectively, in the men’s 500m. Then they joined with François Hamelin and Olivier Jean to take gold in the men’s 5000m relay, utilizing a unique strategy they dubbed Operation Cobra.
For short track fans on the west coast looking to catch the World Tour action live at Pacific Coliseum, tickets are still available. The same goes for fans looking to welcome the Canadian team back home to Maurice Richard Arena in Montreal.
2026-27 ISU Short Track World Tour:
#1 – Vancouver, B.C. – October 23-25
#2 – Montreal, Quebec – October 30-November 1
#3 – Seoul, South Korea – November 20-22
#4 – Shanghai, China – November 27-29
#5 – Beijing, China – December 4-6
#6 – Gdansk, Poland – February 5-7
#7 – Tilburg, Netherlands – February 12-14
