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Local athlete receives grant funding to prepare for 2028 Summer Paralympics

November 6, 2025   ·   0 Comments

By Sam Odrowski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The 2025 recipients of Petro-Canada’s Fuelling Athlete and Coaching Excellence (FACE) Grants were announced earlier this month, and among them is Orangeville’s own Alyssa Smith.

Smith has been competing with the Orangeville Otters swim team for the past eight years.

The $10,000 FACE grant she is receiving is for up-and-coming athlete-coach duos preparing to compete in the Olympics or Paralympics. Smith, with the support of her coach, Richard Pardy, will use the funds to support training by purchasing specialized equipment, attending training camps, and traveling to national swim meets held across Canada.

Smith, who has Stargardt Disease, an inherited genetic eye condition that causes progressive vision loss in children and young adults, is hoping to compete with Team Canada in the 2028 Summer Paralympics.

“It is an honour to represent Orangeville in the swimming community, and if the time comes to represent Canada on a National Team, she will be beaming with pride,” said Alyssa’s father, Sean Smith.

She currently competes in the S13 sports class of para swimming, which is for athletes with visual impairment, and holds three Canadian National Records.

“Her journey is a reminder to us all that not all conditions are visible, and that kindness and understanding go a long way,” said Sean Smith. “Alyssa shows us that we are not defined by our limitations, but by the strength, hope, and resilience that we carry as we pursue our dreams.”

Since 1988, Petro-Canada’s FACE Program has provided over $14 million to more than 3,500 athletes and coaches striving to represent Canada at the Olympic or Paralympic Games, but don’t yet qualify for funding.

In total, 55 athlete-coach duos each receive a $10,000 grant annually. Of those selected, 22 reside in Ontario.

Smith will soon travel to Chile to obtain her international classification and compete in the Youth Para Pan-Am Games, in hopes of opening the door to opportunities in other international competitions.

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