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Kingsbury and Sarault Named Calgary Stampede Parade Marshals

The appointments pair two recent Olympic standouts with a ceremonial role that will have both athletes riding horseback to launch the July Stampede.

This composite image shows Canada's Courtney Sarault, left, and Mikael Kingsbury, right, as they display medals they won at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, in Italy, on Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck, Sean Kilpatrick
Olympic medallists Mikael Kingsbury (L) and Courtney Sarault have been named Parade Marshalls for the 2026 Calgary Stampede Parade in Calgary, Alta which will take place on July 3, 2026.
Courtney Sarault of Team Canada (right) competes in the Short Track Speed Skating Women’s 3000m Relay on Day 12 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games on Feb. 18, 2026, in Milan, Italy.
Silver medallist Canada’s Mikael Kingsbury celebrates on the podium after the freestyle skiing men’s moguls final during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games on Feb. 12, 2026.

Overview

  • The Calgary Stampede announced on June 3, 2026 that freestyle skier Mikael Kingsbury and short-track speedskater Courtney Sarault will serve as honorary parade marshals for the Stampede running July 3–12.
  • Kingsbury capped an illustrious career at the Milano Cortina Olympics by winning gold and silver and saying he had 'called it a career,' making him the most decorated male freestyle skier in Olympic history.
  • Sarault earned four medals at Milano Cortina, becoming the first Canadian short-track skater to do so at a single Games and only the second Canadian to win four medals at a Winter Olympics.
  • Both athletes will ride at the front of the opening parade but have limited recent horseback experience and said they will practice and wear western-themed outfits, with Sarault requesting a full cowboy look.
  • Stampede president Stuart O’Connor framed the selections as part of a long tradition of honoring Olympians and said the pair will serve as ambassadors who can inspire youth and link elite sport to Calgary’s civic celebration.