Declan Farmer: Para sport is more than just a feel-good story

Declan Farmer is one of the biggest names in Para ice hockey and he understands the responsibility that comes with being a leader in the sport. The 28-year-old USA star is looking for his fourth gold medal heading into the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games, having been successful at every Games since his debut in Sochi.

But he has a bigger aim in mind, something he says is his biggest challenge.

“[I want to help] grow the Paralympic Movement and get it to be respected on the same level as Olympic sports in terms of viewership, funding and people respecting it as a serious endeavour,” he tells the IPC. 

“There has been a lot of progress there, but there are still a lot of people who don’t know what the Paralympics is and people who mistake it for other things. 

“It is more about raising general media attention for it and showing it off as competitive, great sport with a lot of amazing athletes with true athletic accomplishments, and not just a feel-good story.”

Global development

The sport and the Paralympic Movement have come a long way, Farmer says. 

“When I first started playing competitively, I was 12 years old. In the US, if you went to national championships, there was only two adult divisions and two youth divisions. 

“There weren’t many teams or total players across the country. Now there are thousands of players and up to 10 different divisions at any tournament. The growth of the sport has blown up across the US and internationally it is coming along as well. 

“People look at the US and Canada as dominant, but teams like Czechia and China are definitely catching up. They put a lot of money into their programs and they are investing in young players and that is showing.

“The US and USA Hockey invested a lot of money in Para ice hockey 20 years ago. There is a long game. You need to put money into the youth players and grow the grassroots programs and eventually it’ll bear fruits in the national team. We’ve seen that with so many good players coming up. We’ve got a really good team and other players are starting to catch on.”

Family, friends and fans

Winning gold once again is on Farmer’s agenda, but he is reluctant to put too much pressure on his teammates. Expectations will be different with spectators returning four years after the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games.

“Obviously some of the top teams have the goal of winning gold medals, others may just want a podium. It is about arriving in Milan as the best team we can be. We are focussing on our own game. We are going to hit all the areas we want to hit. At that point you’ve got to execute and see what happens.

“Family and friends will be there. There isn’t going to be the stress of COVID. A lot of people in the US, their family is excited to visit Italy, so we’re going to get a lot of extended family there. 

“It is going to be different, there is added pressure. That is going to be an adjustment and something to prepare for.”

Leading on and off the ice

Since debuting at Sochi 2014, Farmer has developed into an elder statesman of the team. He wants to help the younger members of the squad improve.

“We’ve got to make the most of our training time,” he says. “I’m training physically and adding to my skills and stuff, but one area I think we can improve is passing along knowledge to some of the younger guys. 

“I can only improve so much, but younger players can help the team so much with the improvements they can make. It is about coming together as a team, finding different areas as a team we can get better.

“People know I work really hard off the ice. I train hard and I put a lot of time and effort into the sport. We want to push the bounds of Para ice hockey. We want it to be a really highly skilled sport, we want it to keep developing over the years. 

“We don’t want it to settle and become stagnant. That is where I pride myself: learning new skill moves and bringing new adaptations to the game and pushing everyone to raise our individual levels.”

The constant evolution and transition in the team is what keeps Farmer hungry for more success. He does not look back at one single victory as a standout moment in his career.

“Each medal is with a different team. You have that moment with that team, and that team is never the same again. People move on and retire, new guys take their place, things change. In hockey it is all about relationships you make, so that gold medal is for that group. 

“You can’t really compare, they were all really meaningful parts of my life and signify the teams we had in those moments. I’ve had three but looking forward we really only care about the next one; it is about coming together with this new group and trying to get it done.”

A community of champions

Farmer was born without legs and has been involved in Para ice hockey since the age of eight. Being part of a team and part of the Para ice hockey community has always been important to him.

“Para ice hockey was very freeing, taking my prosthetics off, competing on an equal playing field. It was casual for a few years, but I learned to love it more as I got older and took it more seriously. It has just been an incredible experience.

“It is very ‘team first’ generally. Being a good teammate and working together are highly valued. What comes from that is a lot of great relationships. Across the team we are all really close. I had a few teammates at my wedding, I consider many of them my best friends.”

Farmer believes there is something unique about the Paralympics, a sporting event which brings together competitors from different walks of life.

“Every Paralympian has overcome a lot in their life and what is really cool about the Paralympics is it is a collection of people from all kinds of different backgrounds. With the Olympics, within a sport, everyone follows the same path. 

“I’m playing with guys who are military veterans in their late 20s who have just started playing hockey in the last five years. It is a totally different thing.

“A Paralympian is someone who can respond to different circumstances, they can adapt to different challenges and have a lot of resilience. That makes a champion.”

Secure your tickets for the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games  

Milano Cortina 2026, which takes place from 6-15 March 2026, is set to be the most beautiful Paralympic Winter Games yet. Ticket prices start at EUR 10 for children under 14, with approximately 89 per cent of the tickets available for EUR 35 or less.

For more information, please visit tickets.milanocortina2026.org