Meet Special Olympics Team Canada Athlete, Tommy Ling
Tommy Ling, Charlottetown, has been a Special Olympics athlete for 10 years. Tommy is a seasoned skier, and is looking forward to representing Canada on the World Stage.
Tommy is no stranger to competition having competed at 5 Special Olympics National Games. He competed at the 2012, 2016, 2020 and 2024 Winter Games in the sport of Cross Country Ski, and the 2018 Summer Games in the sport of Bocce.
Tommy loves Cross Country Ski because he gets to meet new people! He says that his teammates push him to be a better skier. He is one of two PEI Cross Country ski athletes on Special Olympics Team Canada, along with teammate Ellen MacNearney. He and Ellen are long time teammates, having both competed at multiple National Winter Games together.
As Tommy works to prepare for Turin, he has been supported by local training coach, Kathleen MacNearney. With support and guidance from Special Olympics Team Canada Coaches, Kathleen works with Tommy weekly to help prepare him to represent Canada on the world stage. Kathleen brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the role of Training Coach. Kathleen, a 10-year veteran volunteer with Special Olympics PEI, has been Team PEI's Cross Country Ski Head Coach for the last third consecutive National Winter Games. This is Kathleen's first time being a training coach for a Team Canada Training Squad athletes.
Tommy will be well supported, with over 11 family and friends making the trip to Turin to support him in person. This list includes Tommy's sister, Lynda Hontscharowicz. Lynda, a long time volunteers with Special Olympics PEI, first got involved because of Tommy, and has been one of his biggest supporters along the way.
More about the Special Olympics World Winter Games Turin 2025
The Special Olympics World Winter Games Turin 2025 are taking place March 8-15, 2025. Special Olympics Team Canada is composed of 91 athletes and 43 coaches, mission staff, and leadership members. These Games are the world's largest sports and humanitarian event, composed of more than 1,500 athletes from 102 delegations.