A proud moment for both Canadian sport and the Macedonian Orthodox community in Toronto as Luka Stoikos, a parishioner of St. Clement of Ohrid Macedonian Orthodox Cathedral, took to the track representing Team Canada in the men’s four-man bobsleigh at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
Stoikos, a 22-year-old University of Toronto architecture student and former multi-sport athlete, made a stunning transition from football to bobsleigh less than a year ago. After being drafted by the BC Lions in the Canadian Football League in 2025 and then cut late in training camp, he attended an RBC Training Ground qualifier – a talent identification event that links athletes to Olympic sliding sports – and immediately caught the attention of Bobsleigh Canada.
In an extraordinary rise, Stoikos went from his first actual push start in October 2025 to racing internationally within months. His speed, strength, and athletic versatility earned him a spot on Canada’s Olympic bobsleigh team for Milano Cortina 2026.
At the Olympic Games, Stoikos joined pilot Jay Dearborn and brakemen Yohan Eskrick-Parkinson and Mark Zanette in the four-man event. The crew completed their initial heats with competitive runs against the world’s best sledges – a significant achievement for any first-time Olympian.
For Stoikos, the journey carried deep meaning beyond athletic performance. With Macedonian and Italian heritage, he has spoken openly about the importance of family, community, and faith in shaping his path to elite sport. Representing Canada – the country that welcomed his grandparents and supported his development – was a dream he said he cherishes.
“At the end of the day, right now, we’ve still got a job to do, and that’s what we’re focused on,” Stoikos said on the Olympic track, already thinking about his next competitive steps.
His presence at the Games marks a source of pride for the Macedonian Canadian diaspora, especially members of the St. Clement of Ohrid parish in Toronto – a historic spiritual and cultural center for Macedonian Canadians since 1965.
